RAPID ASSAYS TO SCREEN MARINE FLORA AND FAUNA FOR THEIR INHIBITORY ACTIVITY AGAINST ANTIMICROBIAL ENZYMES

Abstract

The worlds land and sea represent a limitless reserve of natural, biological and potentially active useful pharmaceutical products. Renewed interest in drugs from natural reserves, advances in chemical separation and analysis have identified hundreds of unique exotic physiologically active substances with antimicrobial, anti-tumor and other potentialities more rapidly, from terrestrial plants, marine flora and various classes of marine fauna. Development of practical and rapid methods for detection of plant products with activity against infectious disease producing organisms is the need of the hour. Rapid assays for antiviral studies using isotopic reverse transcriptase, E. coli DNA polymerase and HBV DNA polymerase inhibition assays were standardized. Extracts of marine flora and fauna collected under the DOD National project were assessed. Of the extracts assessed for virus specific enzyme inhibitions, 24.35% possessed RT inhibition activity, 15.83% E. coli DNA polymerase Inhibition activity, 42.72% of 35 extracts tested possessed HBV DNA polymerase inhibition activity and 11.42% of 35 extracts tested possessed inhibition activity against all three enzymes tested. The great potential of ocean’s flora and fauna is there to be used for its antimicrobial activity in general and antiviral activity in particular, which will suit our ever increasing need, is to be harnessed for the welfare of the human community at large.