Phytochemical, nutritional, cytotoxic, and antimicrobial profiling of Ulva lactuca collected from the Bay of Bengal, Cox Bazar

Author: Tasnim Sayed Supto, M. Mahfuza Khatun
DOI: doi.org/10.70279/bmj-v7-1056
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Global interest in seaweeds has grown, and Bangladesh is emerging as a seaweed growing powerhouse. Research on the identification of phytochemical bioactive
compounds, as well as their antioxidant, cytotoxicity, and antimicrobial activities, represents a significant area of interest that may not have been thoroughly explored in Bangladesh. This study emphasizes the importance of seaweeds by investigating the phytochemicals, cytotoxic properties, antibacterial activity, and proximate profiles derived from the methanolic extracts of the green seaweed, Ulva lactuca, sourced from Nuniachara, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of phenolics, tannins, flavonoids, steroids, and terpenoids in the collected seaweed sample. The brine shrimp lethality assay (BSLA) demonstrated a cytotoxic effect of the methanolic extracts, with a significant LC50 calculated showing mild cytotoxicity. Furthermore, Salmonella sp, and E. coli exhibited a higher zone of inhibition compared to other bacterial species employed in the study indicating a greater antibacterial activity of these two species. The proximate quantitative test indicated that the seaweed comprises 10.17% protein, 62.66% carbohydrate, 0.54% total fat, 5.47% fibre, 16.50% ash, and 10.13% moisture. The analysis also revealed that vitamin A was not present, whereas the concentration of vitamin B12 was measured at 97 μg/100g. Notably, heavy
metals such as lead (Pb) arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) were below detectable level in U. lactuca , while the amount of Zn was 2.28 ppm. Ulva lactuca from the Bay of Bengal, cox’bazar could be a potential candidate to further explore as a source of novel bioactive compounds.