Isolation of Actinomycetes and Screening for Lipase Inhibitors Production

Background: Obesity is a growing global health problem. Obesity leads to cardiovascular disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. One of the approaches to controlling and treating obesity has involved inhibition of dietary lipid digestion by pancreatic lipase inhibitors. Microbes and plant sources provide a rich source of enzyme inhibitors, including pancreatic lipase inhibitors that can be developed as a drug for obesity treatment. Objective: The objective of the work, mainly focuses and highlights the isolation of actinomycetes and screening for pancreatic lipase inhibitors production. Methods: Actinomycetes were isolated from soil samples by pre-treatment of samples and using selective growth medium with and without antibiotics. Isolated actinomycetes were grown in fermentation conditions and metabolites were extracted with isopropyl alcohol and the solvent evaporated to get crude material. Extract of each isolate screened for pancreatic lipase inhibition using p- nitrophenyl palmitate as substrate by spectroscopic method. Results: A total of 86 actinomycetes strains were isolated from soil samples. Out of 86 extracts,10 extracts have shown positive results for porcine pancreatic lipase inhibition, and inhibition activity was in the range of 10-80%. 50 % inhibitory concentration determined using 1 to 8 mg/mL extract in the assay. Extract of isolate A9, B3, and C6 having 50 % inhibitory activity below 3 mg/mL concentration and Orlistat as a standard has shown 50 % inhibitory activity at below 1 mg/mL concentration. Conclusion: The results conclude that actinomycetes are potential source of lipase inhibitors, which may lead to valuable novel drugs for obesity treatment.