Extraction and characterization of secondary metabolites produced by bacteria isolated from industrial wastewater

The diminishing effort in the identification of proficient antibacterial especially from a new source and increase in bacterial resistance towards antibiotics has created an apprehensive scenario to control bacterial infection. Secondary metabolites(SMs) produced by ubiquitous microbes play a pivotal role in the management of infectious diseases, as they possess strong antimicrobial potential. Some recent studies explored the potent antimicrobial activity of SMs isolated from bacterial but it has not gained significant momentum. Looking into the significance of the subject, present study was aimed at extraction, identification, and characterization of SMs produced by bacteria isolated from industrial wastewater because it is a rich source of molecules of biological interest. A total of four bacterial strains were isolated and identified as Bacillus subtilis(TAAAP010), Streptomyces griseus(TAAAP033), Streptomyces sp. (TAAAP012 and TAAAP020). These identified bacteria were further exploited to obtain the fractions of SMs [F1, F2, F3, F4(from TAAAP010), F4, F6(from TAAAP033), F3(from TAAAP012), and F3, F4, F5, F6(from TAAAP020)] using chromatography. These fractions of SMs were identified as Carbenicillin, Cephalexin, Cephalothin, and Tetracycline through RP-HPLC and have shown significant antimicrobial activity against some multidrug-resistant (MDR) test pathogens (S. dysenteriae, P. vulgaris, P. aeruginosa, E. faecalis). Among all the isolates, TAAAP010 and TAAAP0A33 have shown maximum antagonistic activity against all four test pathogens. The study indicated that the microbial population of wastewater could be an enriching source of SMs(having antimicrobial activity) and further compel for its immense exploration in search/isolation of valuable products for the treatment of infections (especially MDR case) in the future.

Automated summary

This study focused on extracting and characterizing secondary metabolites (SMs) produced by bacteria isolated from industrial wastewater, which showed strong antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens. The identified SMs, including Carbenicillin, Cephalexin, Cephalothin, and Tetracycline, displayed significant antagonistic activity against test pathogens like S. dysenteriae, P. vulgaris, P. aeruginosa, and E. faecalis, highlighting the potential of microbial populations in wastewater as a valuable source for antimicrobial compounds.