Reversed Phase HPTLC-DPPH Free Radical Assay as a Screening Method for Antioxidant Activity in Marine Crude Extracts

The large number of marine organisms present in the ocean, together with the diverse marine environments to which they have adapted, provides an enormous and mostly unexploited source of structurally novel and biologically active secondary metabolites. Some of these organisms have provided compounds that have served as important leads in the discovery of new drugs, as probes inmolecular pharmacology, and use as pest control agents. In particular, they are a rich source of antioxidants but there has been limited work in screening organisms containing this rich source of structurally unique natural products for antioxidant activity. 

For instance, there are a large number of active components in macroalgae with antioxidant properties, including pigments such as polyphloroglucinols and fucoxanthin, bioactive carbohydrates such as fucoidan and laminarin, minerals, and UV absorbing mycosporine like amino acids. Glutathione, an important antioxidant in plants, animals, fungi and some bacteria, is found in all macroalgae with some species containing as much as 3082 mg/100 g. Read more>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>