A wonder drug of its time, Penicillin, was accidentally discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 from a mold that killed bacteria. It soon became popular as it cured deadly infections. But in a few decades, it became ineffective as bacteria became drug resistant. Finding new antibiotics has become a continuous challenge for scientists.
Researchers in the Cochin University of Science and Technology have now isolated new antimicrobials from six species of seaweeds from the coasts of Kerala, as crude water-soluble extracts. They found that these antimicrobials are phycosugars (phyco: seaweed or algae). Phycosugars are different from common sugars in being sulphated. Phycosugars kill a wide variety of bacteria and have antioxidant properties. Scientists found that they were as effective as Tetracycline and Chloramphenicol, but less toxic and more cost effective. For over eighty years, scientists across the globe have been struggling to find new antimicrobials. With seaweeds to our rescue, it could now be a reality.
Published: Current Science.
Reference: Carbohydrate Polymers 151: 584–592.
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