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Seaweeds have been used as nutraceuticals because of certain metabolites present in some species including polyphenols. Seven species of seaweeds collected from the Karachi coast were screened for the first time both for phycochemical analysis and pharmacological activities. The phycochemicals quantified included phenols, flavonoids, tannins and saponins. Melanothamnus afaqhusainii showed the highest content of phenols (2.16mg GAE/g) while highest flavonoids were observed in Coelarthrum muelleri (4.59mg RE/g). Tannins were found in low amounts while saponins were observed as major constituents among the seaweeds ranging from 1.34-3.47% in Sargassum swartzii and Codium flabellatum, respectively. Saponins were not analysed in Rhodophyta due to gel formation. Pharmacological screening revealed analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. Both the methods of analgesic activities have shown significant increase in reaction time when methanol extracts were used. The reason for delayed anti-inflammatory activity of Solieria robusta and C. muelleri was found correlating with its gel forming ability. While Cystoseira indica and C. flabellatum exhibited highly significant effect from 1st to 5th h. Results suggested that selected seaweeds had potential in combating both acute and chronic inflammation and pain and hence can be used for therapeutic efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phycochemical and pharmacological studies were carried out on Ulva fasciata Delile. The ash content was found as 20.4812 % dry weight, moisture content 14.5514 %, total fat content as 0.1878% and 0.49341 %. Total carbohydrate was found as 54.5301-54.2246% dry weight, phenolic content as 0.022%, flavonoids found to be 0.0313% and tannins were 0.00003 %. Ulva fasicata showed central analgesic activity and significant anti-inflammatory activity at the dose of 400 mg/kg bw. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive phytochemical analyses of six different botanicals obtained from Sargassum wightii on GC-MS has revealed the presence of various chemicals. All these identifications were further authenticated by the retention indices and relative retention times. These extracts and fractions contained volatile, non-polar and moderately polar constituents among which 81 were identified. Out of these, 33 were natural constituents while 48 were anthropogenic contaminants. Identified phytochemicals belong to different classes of natural products including 23 fatty acids, 2 fatty aldehydes, 2 fatty alcohols, 2 phytosterols and 4 terpenoids. 15 phytochemicals including 5 fatty acids, methyl iso-pentadecanoate (37), methyl pentadecylate (40), isopropyl myristate (41), methyl elaidate (56) and 9Z,12EOctadecadienoic acid ME (60); 2 fatty aldehydes, nonanal (16) and 2E-decenal (20); 2 fatty alcohols, lignocerol (68) and pentacosyl alcohol (73); 4 isoprenoids, phytane (36), iso-phytol (42), hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (43) and E-phytol (57) and 2 phytosteroids, -Sitosterol (79) and fucosterol (81) were identified for the first time from S. wightii. 48 environmental contaminants included 28 petrochemicals (17 aliphatic, 6 aromatic and 5 oxygenated hydrocarbons), 14 cyclosiloxanes and 6 phthalates. Few of these hydrocarbons are reported from different seaweeds including S. wightii but current study is reporting these as environmental contaminant. Similarly identified hydroperoxides 1-Methyl-pentyl hydroperoxide (9) and 1-ethyl-butyl hydoperoxide (10) could be the oxidative products of 2- hexanone (3) and 3-hexanone (4), respectively and could be the biotransformed products of the assimilated ketones 3 and 4. Overall current study is confirming identification of 15 constituents for the first time from S. wightii. Antioxidant activities of these extracts and fractions were performed using DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, TAC protocols. Botanicals obtained using n-hexane and methanol has shown remarkable results comparable with commercial antioxidants, BHT and BHA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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