An in vitro antagonistic efficacy validation of Rhizophora mucronata

Objective To assess the in vitro antimicrobial efficacy of Rhizophora mucronata (R. mucronata) collected from the mangrove wetland of Ayiramthengu (southwest coast of India) against potential human and shrimp pathogens and to analyse the allelochemical constituents by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) profiling. Methods Agar diffusion assay was used to investigate the efficacy of R. mucronata extracted in different polar and non-polar solvents. The antimicrobial activity was assessed against six type cultures of human and seven type cultures of shrimp pathogens. Results In the present study, methanol was found to be the best solvent for extracting the antimicrobial principles from R. mucronata . The results of the antimicrobial assay inferred that this mangrove could be a potential source of antibiotics for controlling the bacterial pathogens in human and shrimp. Furthermore, phytoconstituents of the crude extract were identified by GC-MS analysis. The GC-MS profile of the crude extract revealed that the main constituent was, Ethanone,1-(2-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl (Rt=9.213), which might have a functional role in the antibiotic activity. Conclusions Collectively, the overall results implies the mangrove, R. mucronata could be utilized as a renewable natural source for the development of novel biotherapeutics to combat human and shrimp pathogens.