Phytochemical Screening and Free Radical Scavenging Activity on Some Selected Seaweeds from Gulf of Mannar, India

Macroalgae or seaweeds are endowed with high number of bioactive compounds. In our study, we performed the phytochemical analysis and antioxidant activity for Sargassum swartzi and Enteromorpha compressa. Crude extracts were prepared from the selected marine seaweeds using different solvents namely acetone, chloroform, diethyl ether, methanol and aqueous extracts. The results of phytochemical analysis from the crude extracts of Sargassum swartzi and Enteromorpha compressa manifests the presence of compounds such as alkaloids, carbohydrates, flavonoids, glycosides, phenols, proteins, quinones, steroids, terpenoids, tannins, saponins and volatile oils. The aqueous and methanol extracts of Sargassum swartzi showed the abundance in metabolites than in Enteromorpha compressa and other extracts. In DPPH, radical scavenging activity assay, the aqueous extract of Sargassum swartzi showed highest free radical scavenging activity. Future work will be focused on the isolation and characterization of bioactive metabolites for its several medicinal and therapeutic properties.