Evaluation of biological activities of lectin extract from Haliclona tubifera towards selected bacteria and fungus

Abstract

Marine sponges are acknowledged as the richest source of marine natural products, producing thousands of various compounds, one of which is the lectin. Lectin is a widely studied protein owing to its ability to perform a wide variety of functions including protection against bacterial and fungal infections. Moreover, a growing number of multidrug resistant pathogens calls for studies on new sources of natural products with pharmacological applications. In this study, lectins were extracted using ammonium sulfate precipitation and agarose gel affinity spin column and their antibacterial and antifungal properties were tested using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method and the pour plate disc diffusion method. Results show that extracted lectins from marine sponge Haliclona tubifera do not possess antibacterial and antifungal properties against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtillis, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans.