Untitled - CNR

Marine research at CNRacBAbdFigure 2: Research activity on macroalgae: (a, b) macroalgae rearing under laboratoryconditions; (c) macrolagae rearing in aquaculture farm; (d) antibacterial activity of analgal lipidic extract (Kirby and Bauer method: A=Control, B= disc imbued with algalextract; note the inhibition of the bacterial growth around the disc.).pose the presence of diffusible substanceswith antimicrobial activity. The extractsderived from many seaweeds show antimicrobialactivity against several microorganisms,such as bacteria, fungi, viruses.In fact, the red seaweed Sphaerococcuscoronopifolius [8] and the green seaweedCodium iyengarii, this last coming fromthe Arabic Sea, showed antibacterial activity;in particular, in C. iyengarii anaction similar to the tetracyclines againstboth Gram-positive and Gram-negativebacteria was observed [9]. Also extractsfrom Caulerpa racemosa, C. cupressoides,Ulva lactuca, Gracilaria foliifera, Hypneamusciformis, Sargassum myricocystum,S. tenneerium, Padina tetrastomaticashowed antibacterial activity against bothGram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria[10]. Haligra spp. showed high antimicrobialactivity against Staphylococcus aureus[11], Stocheospermum marginatum againstKlebsiella pneumoniae and Gracilaria corticataagainst Proteus mirabilis [12]. Inparticular, very good results came fromlipid-soluble extracts of marine macroalgaeagainst multi-antibiotic resistant bacteria[13, 14]. Moreover, recently, from thealginates, polysaccharides abundant in thebrown seaweed cell wall, some fraction ofboth mannuronic and guluronic acid wereextracted. These extracts showed a highantibacterial activity against Escherichiacoli, Salmonella paratyphi, S. aureus andBacillus subtilis [15].2045