TURKISH JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY-TURK BIYOKIMYA DERGISI, cilt.37, sa.4, ss.445-451, 2012 (SCI-Expanded)
ABSTRACT Objective: Seaweeds synthesize secondary metabolites to protect themselves against many factors such as epiphytic colonizations and herbivorous fishes. A significant amount of active metabolites in seaweeds have industrial importance in pharmacy, cosmetics and medicine. Among seaweeds, Caulerpales have recently aroused interest of many scientists because of its dominant sesquiterpenoid metabolite, caulerpenyne. So far, its anticarcinogenic, antiproliferative and antimicrobial properties have been reported in many papers. The present study aims at evaluating the potential of Caulerpa species as a natural remedy for gout. Material and Method: Xanthine oxidase inhibition by caulerpenyne was evaluated using Michaelis-Menten and Lineweaver-Burk plots. Results: Caulerpenyne inhibits xanthine oxidase with an IC50 value of 26.92 mM. According to the results of this study, the type of caulerpenyne inhibition on xanthine oxidase was observed as an irreversible inhibition. Conclusion: Members of Caulerpa Genus might be considered as a natural source of caulerpenyne with its inhibitory effect on xanthine oxidase. Further investigations are warranted on possible chemical modification of caulerpenyne to have better inhibitory activities.