Bioactive Compounds from Actinomycetes of the Gulf of Khambhat

The marine environment is a habitat for many unique microorganisms, which produce biologically active compounds ("bioactives") to adapt to particular environmental conditions. Actinomycetes are a family of bacteria that produce over two thirds of the clinically useful antibiotics of natural origin. The present study deals with production and extraction of antimicrobial metabolites from haloalkaliphilic actinomycetes from the Gulf of Khambhat situated in the Bhavnagar District of the Gujarat. Out of 40 isolates, isolate GhM-HA-6 was found to secrete potential antimicrobial metabolites against many Gram-positive bacteria like M.leuteus, S.flexneri, S.aureus and S.epidermis. It produced the antibiotic optimally during stationary phase with pH 9 and 10% w/v NaCl in starch broth. The crude antimicrobial substance was isolated by using various solvent systems but giving the best separation with chloroform and methanol-ethyl acetate. The study reveals that the haloalkaliphilic actinomycete GhM-HA-6 produces broad spectrum of antimicrobial metabolites which can be exploited for biotechnological potential and improve as promising sources for new antimicrobial compound.