R Saravanan
Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, India
Title: Pharmacognosy of bioactive compounds from selected marine sources
Biography
Biography: R Saravanan
Abstract
Our research streams towards the exploration of novel polysaccharides, polyphenols and glycoproteins from mollusks, seaweeds and mangroves. These biologically active principle compounds are screened for their protective and therapeutic applications towards cardiovascular, neurological diseases and cancer. The marine polysaccharides, low molecular weight heparan sulfate (LMW-HS) from the marine scallop Amussium pleuronectus, low molecular weight sulfated chitosan (LMW-SC) from cuttlebone of Sepia pharaonis and a low molecular weight glycopeptide (LMW-GP) from the posterior salivary gland of S. pharaonis are structurally characterized partially sequenced by using MALDI-TOF/MS and 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy respectively. Further, the secondary structure of the LMW-GP is studied using IR and CD spectroscopy. Phloroglucinol, a phenolic derivative, isolated and purified from selected brown seaweeds are characterized using MALDI-TOF/MS and NMR spectroscopy. The LMW-HS has been shown to exhibit substantial cardioprotective effects (in vivo) on isoproterenol induced myocardial infarction in Wistar rats. The LMW-SC exhibited significant in vitro anticoagulant, cytotoxic and antiviral activities. The LMW-GP demonstrated considerable inhibitory activity against human bacterial pathogens and in vitro cytotoxicity against breast and oral cancer cell lines. The purified phloroglucinol showed substantial antioxidant, cytotoxic and anticoagulant activities. The LMW-HS and LMW-SC does not exhibited significant (P<0.05) teratogenic effects, whereas the LMW-GP and phloroglucinol exhibited mild to moderate developmental toxicity in Zebrafish larva. Thus, these bioactive compounds from marine environment, unique in form, structure and function exhibits numerous favorable biomedical activities with potential for clinical applications in future.