Evaluation of Phytochemical Constituents, Antioxidant & Anti-Diabetic Activity of Seaweed Turbinaria Decurrens Collected from Gulf of Mannar, Tamil Nadu, India

The genus Turbinaria stands out as a prominent and widely distributed member of the brown algae. This species is characterized by distinct morphology, ecological importance, and biochemical properties. In the present study, taxonomical, molecular identification along with antioxidant and anti-diabetic activity of the different extracts (acetone, aqueous & methanol) of T.decurrrens was determined. The preliminary phytochemical components were investigated qualitatively and quantitatively by using standard methods and confirmed the presence of variety of phytoactive components such as coumarins, glycosides, phenols tannins, terpenoids and saponins. The collected seaweed sample was identified by molecular approaches using QIAGEN DNA isolation kit and the BLAST program at the NCBI website that showed se quences similarities with existing seaweed rbcL gene sequences up to 99.21%. "The antioxidant activity of three crude extracts was evaluated by various antioxidant assays viz DPPH and ABTS." The findings revealed potent scavenging activity of ABTS, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 1.06mg/ml for the methanolic extract while the DPPH assay indicated an IC50 value 1.56mg/ml. The investigation into the antidiabetic properties of seaweed extract revealed that the methanolic extract of T.decurrens exhibited the most significant inhibitory activity against α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes with IC50 value of 1.8 mg/ml and 1.40mg/ml respectively. The presence of phytochemical metabolites contributes to both antioxidant activity and anti-diabetic activities. These results indicate that the extract of T.decurrens serve as a natural source of antioxidants and anti-diabetics compounds possessing the potential to address a wide array of serious health conditions.