ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF THE INK OF CUTTLEFISH, SEPIA PHARAONIS AGAINST PATHOGENIC BACTERIAL STRAINS

The aim of the present study is an attempt to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the methanolic extract of the ink of cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis on bacterial pathogens. The methanolic extract of the ink of cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis were prepared and the antibacterial activity was determined by agar well diffusion method on different bacterial strains (Bacillus sp., Pseudomonas sp., E coli., Staphylococcus sp. and Klebsiella sp.). Isolation and the purification of the antibacterial principle were carried out by using Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC). The thermal stability of the extract was determined by incubating the extract at different temperatures. The methanolic extract of the ink of cuttlefish showed antibacterial activity on different bacterial strains. Of the five different species used, the bacterial species Bacillus were found to be more sensitive than all the other species. The bacterial strains Pseudomonas sp., Staphylococcus sp. and Klebsiella sp. were found to be moderately sensitive to the methanolic extract of the ink of cuttlefish. The species E coli is found to be least sensitive than all the other species. So the results revealed that the bacterial species Bacillus were found to be more sensitive than all the other species. The thin layer chromatography revealed that the active principle in the ink extract may be a peptide compound.  Study also revealed that the active principle in the extract is a thermally stable compound. In the present study, the ink extract of cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis have been showed promising antibacterial activity against human pathogens, which reveals the therapeutic potential of the compound.