Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
Antioxidant potential of UV-screening pigment scytonemin isolated from the cyanobacterium Scytonema sp. HKAR-8
*Article not assigned to an issue yet
Kumari Neha, Jaiswal Jyoti, Gupta Amit, Singh Varsha K., Sinha Rajeshwar P.
Research Articles | Published: 10 September, 2025
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Keywords: Antioxidant activity, Cyanobacteria, Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, n Scytonema sp. HKAR-8, Scytonemin
Abstract
The most promising class of photosynthetic microorganisms, cyanobacteria, can produce a wide range of useful natural products. Some cyanobacteria are capable of biosynthesizing the indole-alkaloid scytonemin, a secondary metabolite of significant ecological and medicinal value. Scytonemin is a small, yellow-brown, 544-Da molecular mass, lipid-soluble compound that can screen UV-A radiation. In this study, scytonemin was extracted and purified from the cyanobacterium Scytonema sp. HKAR-8. Further, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was used to identify and characterize scytonemin. The antioxidant potentials of scytonemin were assessed using several in vitro antioxidant tests, including DPPH, ABTS, and H2O2 scavenging activity. Scytonemin extracted from this cyanobacterium showed dose-dependent in vitro antioxidant activity as compared to ascorbic acid. By producing the photoprotective compound scytonemin, cyanobacteria can colonize and thrive in harsh environmental conditions by reducing the negative effects of UV radiation. This UV-shielding compound, scytonemin may be of significant importance for the formation of natural and sustainable sunscreen in the cosmetic and other therapeutic industries because of its significant antioxidant capacity and photoprotective activity.
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Author Information
Laboratory of Photobiology and Molecular Microbiology, Department of Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India