GC-MS Metabolite Profiling, Antibacterial, Antidiabetic and Antioxidant Activities of Brown Seaweeds, Sargassum wightii Greville Ex J. Agardh, 1848 and Stoechospermum marginatum (C. Agardh) Kützing 1843

Objectives: The present study focuses on antibacterial, antidiabetic and antioxidant activities of methanolic extracts of brown seaweed Stoecho- spermum marginatum (SMME) and Sargassum wightii (SWME). Methods: The antibacterial activities of the seaweed extracts were determined by agar well diffusion method. Phytochemical, antioxidant and antidiabetic activity of the selected seaweed extracts were performed. Results: The phytochemical analysis of SMME and SWME has confirmed the presence of fixed oil, fat, tannin, flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids, phenol compounds, saponin etc. The SWME showed maximum activity against Staphylococ- cus aureus and minimum activity against Escherichia coli. And the SMME has shown moderate activity against S. aureus. The antidiabetic efficacy of SWME revealed the maximum effect with the inhibitory concentration value (IC₅₀: 58.36 μg/mL) followed by SMME. The SWME has showed the highest scavenging property in all the tested assays (DPPH, FRAP and H₂O₂) in relation to the control, ascorbic acid. The bioactive metabolites of the extracts were chemically characterized by FTIR and GCMS analyses. GC-MS analysis of SWME revealed the presence of a major chemical compound, hexadecenoic acid, methyl ester (13.35%) which might be responsible for the recorded activity. The FTIR spectrum analyses of crude extracts revealed the presence of alkyl halides, alkanes, amides, aromatics and carboxylic acids. Hence, the present study could form a base-line for the effective biomedical utilization of the seaweed, S. wightii.

Keywords: Antidiabetic, Antioxidant, Brown seaweeds, Sargassum wightii, Stoechospermum mariginatum.