Abstract

DNA BARCODING OF MUD CRAB SCYLLA SERRATA WITH AN EVALUATION ON ITS ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES

M. Nair Karthika, K. N. Vijayakumari, K. S. Sunish, Rishad K. S. and Sharrel Rebello*

Abstract

There are new challenges to identify drugs that are clinically relevant, with promise of discovering novel and more effective therapies for a range of diseases. Mud crabs of Genus Scylla have recently attained much attention due to its medicinal implications. The current research article evaluates the gender based antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory role of haemolymph of mud crabs of backwaters of Kochi, India. The antimicrobial activity of crab haemolymph was evaluated against pathogenic microbes such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and the minimum inhibitory concentration was calculated. The antimicrobial studies revealed that male crabs exhibited better antibacterial activity than female counterparts against both Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The anti-inflammatory activity of crab haemolymph was also verified at different concentrations as per H+-K+-ATPase Assay. Similar results of better anti-inflammatory role was also observed in male crabs. DNA barcoding and CO1 gene based typing of mud crabs revealed that they showed 100% similarity to Scylla serrata. With the prevalence and increased cultivation rate of Scylla serrata, the utility of mud crabs for their antimicrobial potential and anti-inflammatory role would be a promising strategy to overcome increasing drug resistance of microbes.

Keywords: Scylla serrata, Hemolymph, Antimicrobial, Anti-inflammatory, CO1 gene.