Abstract
The present work shows antibacterial activities and mineral contents (K, Na, Ca, Mn, Fe and Zn) in some seaweed samples which were collected from Karachi Coastal area. All extracts of Sargassum muticum showed the highest antibacterial activities (water 3.5±0.5 mm, ethanol 4.9±0.1 mm, methanol 12.4±0.2 mm) while only methanol extract of Sarconema fucellatum (7.6±0.1 mm), Solieria robusta (9.5±0.1 mm) and water extract (3.2±0.5 mm) of Campia compressa showed inhibition zone. Ethanol and methanol extracts of Sargassum ilicifolium (3.5±0.1 mm and 8.6±0.1 mm, respectively) and Sargassum swartzii (4.6±0.1 mm and 10.1±0.2 mm respectively) also showed inhibition zones. The study showed the potential of Sargassum muticum as the natural source of antibacterial compounds. The differences in the concentrations of mineral contents were observed between the different species of seaweeds. The brown seaweed had the highest K (Sargassum ilicifolium, 47.7±5g/kg) and Ca (Stoechospermum marginatum, 15.7±1.4 g/kg) mean concentrations while the green seaweed had the highest mean Zn (Ulva fasciatalatum, 30.8±28 mg/kg) and red algae has the highest Na (Osmundea pinnatifida, 38.8±1.1 g/kg), Fe (Osmundea pinnatifida, 956±26 mg/kg) and Mn concentrations (Sarconema fucellatum, 262±14). Outcome of the study is the information about the potential to be used for curing bacterial and fungal infections and mineral contents for humans use and other utilizations.
