Bactericidal activities and biochemical analysis of skin mucus of Cyprinid fish

Abstract

This study reports the bactericidal activity of mucus extracts and biochemical characterization of skin mucus from five Cyprinids, including Labeo rohita, Ctenopharyngodon Idella, Gibelion catla, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Cirrhinus mrigala against ten different bacteria extracted from naturally infected fish. The bactericidal activity was measured based on the zone of inhibition (ZOI) and compared against Fosfomycin. Importantly, acidic mucus extracts from five fish species exhibited higher bactericidal activity than organic and aqueous extracts. The acidic skin mucus extracts of C. idella, L. rohita, and G. catla showed higher ZOI against Staphylococcus aureus, Aeromonas hydrophila, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of acidic mucus extracts from C. Idella, L. rohita, and G. catla was 16 µg/mL against A. hydrophila, P. aeruginosa, and S. aureus.Further, biochemical characterization of mucus extracts showed that protein concentration was high in the acidic mucus extracts from L. rohita, C. idella, and G. catla compared to H. molitrix and C. mirigala followed by carbohydrate and lipid content. These findings suggest that skin mucus from cyprinids could be a potent source of innovative bactericidal components for fish and human-related treatments.

Keywords

• Antimicrobial components
• Bactericidal activity
• Bacterial pathogens
• Biochemical characterization
• Cyprinids
• Skin mucus