Effectivity of red algae (Gracilaria verrucosa) as antibacterial and anti-inflammatory

Efektivitas alga merah (Gracilaria verrucosa) sebagai antibakteri dan anti-inflamasi

Abstract

About 45% of the world's seaweed species are found in Indonesia, with 782 species; 196 green algae, 134 brown algae and 452 red algae. South Sulawesi is one of the centers of seaweed production, which is also one of the region's leading commodities. The seaweed cultivation area in this region reaches 193,700 ha for marine cultivation and 32,000 ha for pond cultivation. Its pro-duction potential reaches 785,306 tons, consisting of Eucheuma cotonii 465,306 tons and Gracilaria verrucosa 320,000 tons. Gracilaria verrucosa is one of the red algae that grows in Indonesia. This algae has chemical content namely alkaloids, flavo-vonoids, saponins, steroids, triterpenoids, and tannins that function as antibacterial and anti-inflammatory; antibacterial proper-ties because it has a high inhibition zone against gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains, and anti-inflammatory be-cause it has high protection against pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-R.