Evaluation of Pterin, a Promising Drug Candidate from Cyanide Degrading Bacteria

Pterin is a member of the compounds known as pteridines. They have the same nucleus of 2-amino-4-hydroxypteridine (pterin); however, the side-chain is different at the position 6, and the state of oxidation of the ring may exist in different form viz. tetrahydro, dihydro, or a fully oxidized form. In the present study, the microorganisms able to utilize cyanide, and heavy metals have been tested for the efficient production of pterin compound. The soil samples contaminated with cyanide and heavy metals were collected from Salem steel industries, Tamil Nadu, India. Out of 77 isolated strains, 40 isolates were found to utilize sodium cyanate as nitrogen source at different concentrations. However, only 13 isolates were able to tolerate maximum concentration (60 mM) of sodium cyanate and were screened for pterin production. Among the 13 isolates, only 1 organism showed maximum production of pterin, and the same was identified as Bacillus pumilus SVD06. The compound was extracted and purified by preparative high-performance liquid chromatography and analyzed by UV/visible, FTIR, and fluorescent spectrum. The antioxidant property of the purified pterin compound was determined by cyclic voltammetry. In addition, antimicrobial activity of pterin was also studied which was substantiated by antagonistic activity against Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Besides that the pterin compound was proved to inhibit the formation of biofilm. The extracted pterin compounds could be proposed further not only for antioxidant and antimicrobial but also for its potency to aid as anticancer and psychotic drugs in future.