Phytochemical profiling and assessment of antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the green macroalga Caulerpa prolifera from the Antalya coast

Hatice Banu Keskinkaya; Emine Şükran Okudan; Bahar Yılmaz; Merve Koçak; Numan Emre Gümüş

doi:10.12714/egejfas.43.1.08

EN TR

Phytochemical profiling and assessment of antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the green macroalga Caulerpa prolifera from the Antalya coast

Abstract

Macroalgae are increasingly supported for utilization and development in pharmacology, food, and biotechnology due to their high bioactive potential. This study aimed to characterize the phytochemical profile of C. prolifera extracts and to evaluate their in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activities. The extracts exhibited total phenolic (TPC) and total flavonoid contents (TFC) values of 2.68±0.22 and 18.94±0.68 µg GAEs/mg, while flavonoid contents were determined as 51.05 and 7.26±0.09 µg QEs/mg. HPLC-DAD analysis identified major metabolites including chlorogenic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, t-ferulic acid, hydroxycinnamic acid, naringin, o-coumaric acid, rosmarinic acid, salicylic acid, quercetin, t-cinnamic acid, rutin, and naringenin. Antibacterial evaluation demonstrated variable susceptibility among Gram-negative and Gram-positive strains, with MIC values ranging from 7.5 to 5.25 mg/mL. While the ethanol extract exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity in the ABTS•⁺ (IC50: 333.16±0.74 µg/mL) and CUPRAC (A0.50: 538.5±0.02) assays, all extracts showed limited DPPH scavenging capacity (IC50:>800 µg/mL). The ethanolic extract also demonstrated the highest metal chelating capacity (IC50: 327.15±0.63 µg/mL). In conclusion, this study demonstrates that ethanol is the most effective solvent for recovering antioxidant bioactive components from C. prolifera and recommends its use in extraction-based studies.

Keywords

Antalya kıyılarından toplanan yeşil makroalg Caulerpa prolifera’nın fitokimyasal profili, antioksidan ve antibakteriyel aktivite değerlendirmesi

Öz

Makroalglerin yüksek biyoaktif potansiyelleri, farmakoloji, gıda ve biyoteknoloji alanlarında kullanım ve geliştirilmesini giderek daha fazla desteklemektedir. Bu çalışma, C. prolifera ekstrelerin fitokimyasal profilini karakterize etmeyi ve in vitro antioksidan ve antibakteriyel aktivitelerini değerlendirmeyi amaçlamıştır. Ekstrelerin toplam fenolik içerik (TPC) ve toplam flavonoid içeriği (TFC) değerleri sırasıyla 2.68±0.22 ve 18.94±0.68 µg GAEs/mg olarak, flavonoid içerikleri ise 51.05 ve 7.26±0.09 µg QEs/mg olarak belirlenmiştir. HPLC-DAD analizi, klorojenik asit, 4-hidroksibenzoik asit, t-ferulik asit, hidroksisinamik asit, naringin, o-kumarik asit, rosmarinik asit, salisilik asit, kuersetin, t-sinamik asit, rutin ve naringenin gibi başlıca metabolitleri ortaya koymuştur. Antibakteriyel değerlendirme, Gram-negatif ve Gram-pozitif suşların farklı duyarlılık düzeyleri sergilediğini göstermiştir (MIC: 7.5–5.25 mg/mL). Etanol ekstresi, ABTS•⁺ (IC₅₀: 333.16±0.74 µg/mL) ve CUPRAC (A_0.50: 538.5±0.02) testlerinde en yüksek antioksidan aktiviteyi gösterirken, tüm ekstreler DPPH radikal süpürme kapasitesi açısından düşük aktivite sergilemiştir (IC₅₀: >800 µg/mL). En yüksek metal şelatlama aktivitesi de etanol ekstresinde gözlenmiştir (IC₅₀: 327.15±0.63 µg/mL). Sonuç olarak bu çalışmada, etanolün C. prolifera'dan antioksidan biyoaktif bileşenleri geri kazanmak için en etkili çözücü olduğunu göstermektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Supporting Institution

Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey Scientific Research Projects Coordination

Project Number

03-M-23

Thanks

This study supported by University of Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey Scientific Research Projects Coordination (Project number 03-M-23).

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Hydrobiology

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Hatice Banu Keskinkaya
0000-0002-6970-6939
Türkiye

Emine Şükran Okudan
0000-0001-5309-7238
Türkiye

Bahar Yılmaz
0000-0002-6315-3018
Türkiye

Merve Koçak
0000-0001-7590-7190
Türkiye

Numan Emre Gümüş ^*
0000-0001-8275-3871
Türkiye

Publication Date

March 3, 2026

Submission Date

November 14, 2025

Acceptance Date

February 9, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 43 Number: 1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.12714/egejfas.43.1.08

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA56AH25JH

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Keskinkaya, H. B., Okudan, E. Ş., Yılmaz, B., Koçak, M., & Gümüş, N. E. (2026). Phytochemical profiling and assessment of antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the green macroalga Caulerpa prolifera from the Antalya coast. Ege Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 43(1), 68-75. https://doi.org/10.12714/egejfas.43.1.08