New Delhi, Oct. 02 (India Science Wire): Marine Biotechnology Division of National
Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) has discovered a potential anti-TB agent to
fight against tuberculosis (TB) by successfully isolating the biomolecules of
pharmacological importance from a marine microalgae Chlorella vulgaris.
This is possibly the first time that a promising anti-TB agent from the marine
microalgae Chlorella vulgaris is developed during the production of Chlorella Growth
Factor (CGF), lipid and lutein through a low cost extraction process. The hot water
extract of C.vulgaris is also known as CGF. The study also highlights a cost-effective
technology for the production of multiple biomolecules, sequentially from marine
micro-alga biomass.
Tuberculosis is a highly contagious bacterial disease, which is still one of the biggest
threats to humanity. Despite the availability of live attenuated vaccine and their
effectiveness against the disease is proven, the treatment of TB is difficult because
the TB bacteria have thick cell walls that drugs have difficulty in penetrating and a
protein in the bacteria makes it resistant to treatment. Sometimes bacteria can hide
within the immune system and become dormant and reappear after treatment ends
with mutated strains resistant to antibiotics and vaccines. "Most of the drugs
currently used, only kill bacteria that are trying to replicate," so we need drugs that
can kill those dormant ones too," scientists opined.
The marine natural compounds isolated from the microalgae using a cost effective
method by the NIOT scientists would contribute to the development of a new
compound to kill the dormant tuberculosis bacteria. Scientists held that as the
microalgae possess sophisticated chemical structures, it has potential in the
pharmaceutical and medical areas, including development of drugs for other
neglected tropical diseases.
The present study revealed that Fatty Acid-Carotenoid Complex (FACC) of potent
anti-TB agents such as oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids with effective antioxidants
such as carotenoids would be an effective approach for tuberculosis treatment
which allies with HIV related disorder, where the immunity is lost and oxidative
stress boosts up.
The CGF is rich in amino acids, peptides, vitamins, minerals and nucleic acids.
Number of studies reported that Chlorella vulgaris exhibited protection against
oxidative stress, cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to the
presences of micro-and macro-nutrients such as proteins, polysaccharides, omega-3
polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. In the present study, NIOT
scientists have isolated two types of fatty acids-carotenoid complexes (FACC)
namely, FACC-1 (red oil) and FACC-2 (brown oil) in addition to lipid and lutein from
the spent biomass of C.vulgaris after the extraction of CGF. The study further
revealed that these fatty acid-carotenoid complexes are an effective anti-TB agent,
due to its potential to act at lower concentrations. The mechanism behind this
significant effect is that these oils are rich in many potent anti-TB agents (oleic,
linoleic and linolenic acids) that are indeed effective individually as well as in
complex with carotenoids that act as potent antioxidants (canthaxanthin,
neoxanthin, cryptoxanthin and echinenone).
This research work was led by Dr. Kirubagaran R., Dr. Dharani G., and a team
comprised of Kumar T.S., Josephine A, and Sreelatha T. of NIOT, Ministry of Earth
Sciences, Raja Kumar S. of Bharathidasan University and Azger Dusthackeer VN, and
Mahizhaveni B of National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis, Chetpet, Chennai,
The research paper is published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology. (India Science
Wire)