Metabolite Profiling of the Ethanol and Ethyl Acetate Extracts of Ulva lactuca using UPLC-QToF-MS/MS

Ulva lactuca, commonly known as sea lettuce, is a marine green algae known for its diverse pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, wound healing, and anti-inflammatory activities. This algae can be found in intertidal zones, where it is attached to rocks. Its growth is quite fast due to its rapid absorption of nutrients from seawater. This study aimed to determine the metabolite profile of Ulva lactuca originating from Rembang, Central Java, Indonesia, a region where Ulva lactuca has not been explored. Ulva lactuca was extracted with 96% ethanol and ethyl acetate using Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction (UAE) method. The extracts obtained were analyzed for their metabolites profile using the Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-QToF-MS/MS). The resulting data were processed with MassLynx 4.1 software and further identified using the ChemSpider and MassBank databases. A total of 66 compounds were detected, comprising 43 known compounds and 23 unidentified compounds. The predominant compound in both the 96% ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts was 1-carboxy-3-hydroxyadamantane, with a percentage peak area of 21.71% and 19.87%, respectively.