Antioxidant activity of a halogenated monoterpene isolated from a Namibian marine algal Plocamium species

The antioxidant potential of various marine natural products is well documented. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant potential of a rare halogenated monoterpene, namely; 1E,3R,4S,5E,7Z-1-bromo-3,4,8-trichloro-7-(dichloromethyl)-3-methylocta-1,5,7-triene (1) for the first time. This compound was isolated from a Namibian red algal Plocamium species. The antioxidant activity of the compound was evaluated using a series of antioxidant assays, namely; 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl radical (DPPH), reducing power, nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The compound demonstrated remarkable DPPH, NO and H2O2 scavenging activities with IC50 values of 0.05 +/- 0.01, 4.18 +/- 0.22 and 5.58 +/- 1.11 mM, respectively. The reducing power of the compound increased with an increase in concentration. These results were compared to the absorbance of ascorbic acid, which was used as a standard control in all the antioxidant assays. The results strongly suggest that compound 1 is a promising antioxidant agent with potential commercial applications.