Isolation of Marine Organisms and their Antifungal Studies

T. Shanmuga Priya and V. Balasubramanian

Centre for Ocean Research, AMET University, Kanathur, Chennai-603112, India.

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/bbra/1429

ABSTRACT: Marine organisms are a good source of new secondary metabolites that possess many biological activities including antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, insecticidal and enzyme inhibition. Actinomycetes are known to produce bioactive substances, especially antibiotics that are effective against phytopathogenic fungi. Biocontrol with beneficial bacteria is one promising alternative to fungicides. Hydrolases such as chitinase contribute to degradation of fungal cell walls . Chitin is the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature and a major component of fungal walls, ,insect exoskeletons and crustacean shells.Chitinase secreted by a BCA is likely to be effective against pathogenic fungi, the cell walls of which are mainly Chitin. Several species have been isolated and screened from the soil in the past decades. Many of these secondary metabolites possess biological activities and have the potential to be developed as therapeutic agents. Bio-active compounds from marine organisms possess distinct chemical structures that are used in the synthesis of new drugs that could be used against pathogens. In this paper isolation of marine organism samples are collected at different marine environments and habitats and their antifungal studies are described.

KEYWORDS: Secondary metabolites; Bio-active compounds; Antifungal activity

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