Antioxidant Activity of Extracts of Selected Algae from the Persian Gulf, Iran

In vitro antioxidant activity of Ulva lactuca (Chlorophyta) and three brown seaweeds belonging to the division Phaeophyta were evaluated. The species Padina pavonica, Colpomenia sinuosa, Cystoseira myrica and U. lactuca were collected during low tide between March and June 2012 from the coastline of the Persian Gulf (Hormozgan and Bushehr provinces), Iran.Ethyl acetate, n-Hexane and methanol extracts were prepared. The ethyl acetateextract of Ulva lactuca showed the highest radical scavenging activity (IC50 62.13 µg/ml) in comparison with brown seaweeds, when tested by the DPPH (1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl). Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) was used as a reference. This study indicated that the ethyl acetate extract of seaweeds had better antioxidant effect in comparison with methanol and n-Hexane extracts. Additionally, the antioxidant activities of ethyl acetate extracts of all the four seaweeds exhibited dose dependency and increased with increasing concentration of the extract. Since, these algal species are easily available in coastal waters of the Persian Gulf, their antioxidant potential make them suitable candidate as ingredients in food and pharmaceutical industries.