Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
antibacterial activity against
S. aureus
(inhibition zone diameter, 12 mm)
and
P. mirabilis
(9 mm). Similarly, its hexane extract (0.37 mg/ml) showed
activity against
S. aureus
(9 mm) (Prakash et al.,
2011).
CHLORELLA VULGARIS
BEYENINCK (BEIJERINCK), 1890
Phylum: Chlorophyta Class: Trebouxiophyceae
Order: Chlorellales Family: Chlorellaceae
Distribution: Ireland, Europe, South America, Southwest Asia, Central Asia,
Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand
Habitat: Freshwater habitats
Description: This is a single-celled, free-living species. The cells (3-10 µm
diameter) are spherical without lagella. The green photosynthetic pigments
chlorophyll
a
and
b
are present.
Compounds and activities: The bioactive compounds isolated from this spe-
cies include 2-butanol, 1,1-diethoxybutanol, 1-hexyl-2-nitrocyclohexane,
heptanol, octanol, and 3-methyl-(S)-ethane. Among these compounds,
3-methyl-(S)-ethane showed maximum activity (90.8%) (Al-Wathnani
et al.,
2012). Other compounds, such as aminopeptides (glutathiones),
acidic glycoproteins, galactose-rich carbohydrates, nucleic acids, bromo-
acetic acid, and pentadecyl ester, have also been isolated from this species.
All these compounds have shown antibacterial, antiviral, antitumor, anti-
metastatic, and immunopotentiating effects. The methanolic and hexano-
lic extracts of this species have shown antibacterial properties against
S. aureus
,
Staphylococcus epidermidis
,
B. subtilis
,
E. coli
, and
Salmonella
typhi
. The lavonoids isolated from this species, however, have shown
antioxidative activities. This species also has a chemopreventive effect by
inducing apoptosis by decreasing the expression of Bcl-2 and increasing
the expression of caspase 8 in hepatocarcinogenesis-induced rats (Azamai
et al., 2009). Oral administration of hydrolysates of this species protects the
human body from heavy metal pollution. As a food supplement, this species
has been found to help the human body improve liver function, lower blood
pressure, boost immune function, and reduce obesity.
