Comparative evaluation of the antibacterial activity of soft corals collected from the water of Panggang Island, Kepulauan Seribu

Abstract

The need for new antibiotic compounds to overcome the resistance of pathogenic bacteria on existing antibiotics is increasing at this time. Soft corals are a rich source of bioactive compounds, have biological activity such as antifungal, cytotoxic, antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, etc. This study evaluated antibacterial activity of soft corals collected from the waters of Panggang Island, Kepulauan Seribu. Five collected soft corals, namely Sinularia sp., Sarcophyton sp., Xenia sp., Dendronephthya sp., and Nephthea sp. were extracted with the methanol, ethyl acetate and hexane. Antibacterial activity of soft corals was determined by disc diffusion method against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aeromonas hydrophila, and Vibrio harveyi. The result showed that extract of soft corals exhibited antibacterial activity on one or more tested bacteria. Soft coral Sinularia sp. produced the highest inhibitory zone, while Xenia sp and Sarchopyton sp. produced the weakest antibacterial activity. Methanol extracts had the highest antibacterial activity on all tested soft corals, with maximum activity against Vibrio harveyi. The results of this study indicate that the methanol extract of the soft coral Sinularia sp. has potential as a source of antibacterial com