Biochemical Analysis and Antimicrobial Activity of Epidermal Mucus of Freshwater Mud Eel Monopterus cuchia

Background: Among the fishes of North-East India, especially Assam, the Monopterus cuchia is unique for its habitat in the mud. The freshwater mud eel M. cuchia inhabits various shallow, vegetation-rich freshwater environments, including ponds, canals, rivers, beels and flood plains. They thrive abundantly in mud holes in shallow beels with low oxygen levels. The entire winter season is spent by this fish species in mud and exposed to many soil bacteria. To avoid microbial invading this species produces epidermal mucous. Materials and Methods: In the present study, the biochemical analysis of the epidermal mucus of M. cuchia was done through estimation of total protein, total carbohydrates and analysis of lipids by adopting appropriate protocols. The antimicrobial activity of epidermal mucus in various concentrations of 100, 60, 40, 30 and 10% were observed against two different bacteria by well diffusion method. Results: Biochemical characterization and antimicrobial potential of epidermal mucus extracts of M. cuchia showed that carbohydrate concentration was higher followed by protein and lipid content. Among proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, the skin mucus of fish contained the smallest amount of lipids. The antimicrobial activity assay against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus revealed that the maximum inhibition zone was observed with 100% epidermal mucus concentration for both bacterial strains. This result was comparable to the effectiveness of ampicillin, which served as the positive control in the experiment. Conclusion: These findings indicate that the skin mucus of M. cuchia may serve as a rich source of novel antimicrobial agents for potential use in treatments related to fish and human health.