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.
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