Exploring the bioactivity of Bacillus siamensis isolated from marine sediments

Abstract Bioactive compounds are a diverse group of naturally occurring molecules found in plants, animals, microorganisms, and various other sources that possess the remarkable ability to exert specific, often beneficial, effects on living organisms. Due to their potential uses in agriculture, medicine, nutrition, and other fields, these substances are at the cutting edge of scientific research. Modern biotechnology and pharmaceutical research are very interested in isolating and evaluating bioactive chemicals from marine sediments. A considerable and mostly untapped reservoir of various microorganisms and their metabolites can be found in the world’s oceans, many of which have the potential to produce novel bioactive chemicals with practical uses. Marine sediments, which constitute a substantial portion of the ocean floor, represent a unique and promising source of these bioactive compounds. This is due to the rich microbial diversity thriving in these environments, often under harsh environments like high pressure, low temperature, and limited nutrient availabilities. The present study concentrated on the isolation and screening for the potential bioactive compounds from marine sediments collected from Ramanathapuram and Mandapam and also their significant antibacterial, anti-inflammatory activities as well to determine the potential bioactive compound present in the isolated strain. The bioactive substance found in the isolated strain was identified by the study as serratiopeptidase, which had strong antibacterial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, along with anti-inflammatory and protease properties. Based on 16S rDNA gene sequencing and morphological characterisation, this strain was identified as rod shaped gram positive Bacillus siamensis , which showed close relation with Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens through phylogenetic tree. This study presents Bacillus siamensis (VITAAA3) as a novel marine-derived source of serratiopeptidase, demonstrating its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and proteolytic properties, expanding the known microbial diversity for therapeutic enzyme production.