Malaysian brown seaweeds Sargassum siliquosum and Sargassum polycystum: Low density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), α-amylase, and α-glucosidase inhibition activities

- Sargassum siliquosum and Sargassum polycystum are brown seaweed species found in Malaysia.
- Bioactive compounds in the seaweeds were first extracted with methanol.
- Fucoxanthin, being the most common pigment found in brown seaweeds was fractionated from the crude extract.
- Crude extract and fucoxanthin-rich fractions (FRFs) demonstrated low density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation inhibition activity.
- Crude extract and FRF demonstrated angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity.
- Crude extract and FRF demonstrated α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities.

Two Malaysian brown seaweeds, Sargassum siliquosum and Sargassum polycystum were first extracted using methanol to get the crude extract (CE) and further fractionated to obtain fucoxanthin-rich fraction (FRF). Samples were evaluated for their phenolic, flavonoid, and fucoxanthin contents, as well as their inhibitory activities towards low density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), α-amylase, and α-glucosidase. In LDL oxidation assay, an increasing trend in antioxidant activity was observed as the concentration of FRF (0.04-0.2 mg/mL) and CE (0.2-1.0 mg/mL) increased, though not statistically significant. As for serum oxidation assay, significant decrease in antioxidant activity was observed as concentration of FRF increased, while CE showed no significant difference in inhibitory activity across the concentrations used. The IC50 values for ACE inhibitory activity of CE (0.03-0.42 mg/mL) were lower than that of FRF (0.94-1.53 mg/mL). When compared to reference drug Voglibose (IC50 value of 0.61 mg/mL) in the effectiveness in inhibiting α-amylase, CE (0.58 mg/mL) gave significantly lower IC50 values while FRF (0.68-0.71 mg/mL) had significantly higher IC50 values. The α-glucosidase inhibitory activity of CE (IC50 value of 0.57-0.69 mg/mL) and FRF (IC50 value of 0.50-0.53 mg/mL) were comparable to that of reference drug (IC50 value of 0.54 mg/mL). Results had shown the potential of S. siliquosum and S. polycystum in reducing cardiovascular diseases related risk factors following their inhibitory activities on ACE, α-amylase and α-glucosidase. In addition, it is likelihood that FRF possessed antioxidant activity at low concentration level.