Evaluation of the Bioactive Potential of Secondary Metabolites Produced by a New Marine Micrococcus Species Isolated from the Persian Gulf

BACKGROUND: In the present work, a newly isolated marine bacterium, Micrococcus sp. MP76, from coastal area of Persian Gulf around Bushehr province, Iran, was identified with the ability to produce bioactive compounds. METHODS: The pigment production was optimized by changing carbon and nitrogen sources in bacterial growth media at 28°C and 220 rpm for 5 days. Partial purification of the pigment was carried out using suitable solvents. RESULTS: Maximum pigment extract was achieved (1.4 g/l) when cultured in the medium containing 0.5% (v/v) molasses, 0.5% (w/v) peptone, 1% (w/v) sea salt, 0.01% (w/v) potassium phosphate, and 0.05% (w/v) yeast extract, pH=7.0. Antibacterial effect assessment of the extract against pathogenic bacteria revealed the MIC values in the range of 4.2–7.5 mg/ml depending on different pathogens. The pigment extracted from medium supplemented by molasses and ammonium sulfate had 81% radical scavenging activity, and its IC(50) value was 0.28 mg/ml. CONCLUSION: The newly isolated strain of Micrococcus genus from the Persian Gulf revealed a valuable source to access worth medicinal ingredients when cultured under optimized conditions.