Use of Biomass from Beached Algae of the Genus Caulerpa to Obtain the Alkaloid Caulerpin

Abstract

Caulerpin is an alkaloid with various biological activities, such as antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and antitumoral. This natural product is the majority in algae of the genus Caulerpa, which are found fixed to rocks on the seabed and beached to the sands. The objective of the research was to evaluate the possibility of using the biomass of these marginalized algae to obtain the alkaloid. Using ultrasound extraction and analysis by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, the results showed that it was possible to identify caulerpin in the beached algae. Furthermore, the alkaloid showed good resistance to photodegradation since caulerpin remained practically unchanged after 7 days of exposure to sunlight.