Uncovering the potential of actinobacterium BLH 1-22 isolated from marine sediment as a producer of antibiotics

Actinobacteria have been known as producers of many bioactive compounds. The present study examines ten marine Actinobacterial isolates, aiming to investigate their potential as producers of antimicrobial compounds. The secondary metabolites were extracted from these Actinobacteria using ethyl acetate, and the crude extracts were tested for their bioactivity against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Micrococcus luteus. The antibacterial screening showed that the crude extracts of these Actinobacteria inhibit the growth of indicator strains. The extracts of isolate BLH 1-22 were further analysed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), which showed potential compounds with peak and retention time similar to the antibiotic standards (i.e., erythromycin, ampicillin, tetracycline, and penicillin). In addition to the HPLC profile, molecular identification showed that the isolate BLH 1-22 was similar to Micromonospora chalcea (99.6%). Further genome characterization of the strain, as well as purification and fractionation of the metabolite extracts, are important to obtain a comprehensive study on the potential of isolate BLH 1-22 as antibiotic compound producers. This study reported the potential of Micromonospora BLH 1-22 isolated from marine sediment. Hence, it also highlighted the potential of Actinobacteria isolated from Indonesian environments for bioprospecting studies.