Abstract

STUDIES ON NS5 18S RDNA BASED MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS AND ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTIES OF EUTYPHOEUS GAMMIEI, AN EARTHWORM SPECIES ENDEMIC TO NORTH EAST INDIA.

Madhusudan Debnath, Parichita Ray Choudhury and Samir Kumar Sil*

ABSTRACT

Earthworms have been used as a traditional medicine in China, Japan, and other Far East countries for thousands of years. Several studies have shown that the earthworm extracts contain different macromolecules which exhibited the variety of activities, such as antibacterial, antioxidative, antiinflammatory, anticancer, wound healing etc. The northeastern region of India is rich in bio-diversity due to its diverse agro-climatic condition, variation of topography, altitudes and rainfalls etc. Earthworm species endemic to this region may offer excellent opportunity for exploring new molecules with potential medicinal values. Eutyphoeus gammiei (Beddard) is an earthworm species endemic to Tripura, north-east India. The present investigation has been focused to molecular identification and classification of this species on the basis of NS5 region 18S rDNA gene sequence and also to its antibacterial properties. Molecular phylogenetic analysis indicated that Eutyphoeus gammiei clustered with Amynthus species. Analysis also indicated that this species from northeast India maintained a well separated clade. Ethanol extract of Eutyphoeus gammiei (EEEG) was prepared by Hahnshin rotary evaporator and its antibacterial properties was assessed against gram-positive bacteria namely Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6571), Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 11774) and gram-negative bacteria namely Pseudomonas aeroginosa (ATCC 10145), klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC- BAA 1705), Escherichia coli (ATCC 11229). The extract showed positive result against all the stains with maximum activity against k pneumonia and E. coli.

Keywords: antibacterial, antioxidative, antiinflammatory, anticancer, wound healing.