Characterization of antimicrobial agents extracted from Asterina pectinifera

The extracts from the starfish Asterina pectinifera obtained using various organic solvents and distilled water were tested for their antimicrobial ac tivities against fungi and yeasts. The methanol and water extracts were fou nd to be the most active and Aspergillus spp. and Cryptococcus neoformans p roved to be sensitive species. The extracts are polar, stable to a wide ran ge of pH and a high temperature, and possess a very distinctive UV spectrum . The colour reactions for functional groups of antimicrobial substances in dicate the presence of some distinctive chemical properties common to stero idal oligoglycosides which results suggest that the antimicrobial activity is due to structures common to steroidal oligoglycosides. (C) 1999 Publishe d by Elsevier Science B.V. and International Society of Chemotherapy. All r ights reserved.