S1643 Document heading doi: 襂2012 by the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine. All rights reserved. Antipyretic, wound healing and antimicrobial activity of processed shell of the marine mollusc Cypraea moneta Grasian Immanuel * , Berkmans Jude Thaddaeus, Muthusamy Usha, Ramasamy Ramasubburayan, Santhiyagu Prakash, Arunachalam Palavesam Department of Marine Biotechnology, Centre for Marine Science and Technology, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Rajakkamangalam - 629 502, Kanyakumari District, Tamilnadu, India. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine (2012)S1643-S1646 Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine journal homepage:www.elsevier.com/locate/apjtb *Corresponding author: Grasian Immanuel.Department of Marine Biotechnology, Centre for Marine Science and Technology, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Rajakkamangalam - 629 502, Kanyakumari District, Tamilnadu, India. E-mail: gimmas@gmail.com 1. Introduction In recent years, human pathogenic microorganisms have developed resistance in response to the indiscriminate use of commercial antimicrobial drugs commonly employed in the treatment of infectious diseases [1] . Moreover, cost of production of synthetic drugs is also high and they cause adverse effect when compared to bioactive naturally derived drugs [2] . Hence, intense research is under progress towards search for natural remedies with potent biological activities from marine organisms. In terms of biodiversity, marine environments is the richest and most complex ecosystem, harsh chemical and physical conditions of the environment have been important drivers for the production of variety of bioactive substances with unique structural features. These substances exhibit various types of biological activities [3] . Marine invertebrates offer a rich source of potential drugs with excellent biological activities [4] . From marine invertebrates, so far approximately 7000 marine natural products have been reported, among these 33% from sponges, 18% from coelentrates (sea whips, sea fans and soft corals) and 24% from representatives of other invertebrate phyla such as ascidians (also called tunicates), opisthobranch molluscs (nudibranchs, sea hares, etc. ), echinoderms (starfish, sea cucumbers, etc.) and bryozoans [5] . Among invertebrates, molluscs are widely distributed throughout the world and have many representatives such as slugs, whelks, clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, squids and octopods in the marine and estuarine ecosystem. Many classes of bioactive compounds exhibiting anti-tumor, anti-leukemic, antibacterial and antiviral activities have been reported worldwide [6-9] . The materia medica of India provides a great deal of information on the folklore practices and traditional aspects ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: Received 2 August 2012 Received in revised from 10 September 2012 Accepted 8 December 2012 Available online 28 December 2012 Keywords: C. moneta Shell powder Antimicrobial Wound healing Antipyretic Objective: Some of the products derived from marine organisms have been recommended in alternative system of medicine especially Siddha medicine for several treatments. Among the marine molluscs, Cypraea moneta shell has been used as siddha medicine from ancient days. But no systematic study has been done on its efficacy as antipyretic, wound healing and as antimicrobial agent. In the present study, the protective action of processed shell powder of C. moneta was evaluated by us in an animal model for the above treatments. Methods: C. moneta shell powder was prepared by standard method described in Siddha medicine. Then the antipyretic, wound healing as well as antimicrobial effect of the processed powder was tested in Wister albino rats. Results: By the intravenous injection of yeast cell suspension into albino rats, the antipyretic effect of the shell powder given orally was studied by various concentrations of 0, 10, 20 and 30 mg/ml. The body temperature of the albino rat became normal within a short duration (3h). The wound healing effect of the shell powder was very effective. In the thigh region 2 cm wound was made and the different dosages of shell powder (C -Control, SD - Single dose, DD -Double dosage and TD -Triple dose/day) were applied externally as ointment. The scar was produced in eighth day onwards in DD and TD. Antimicrobial activity was studied in three different oppurtunistic human pathogens such as Micrococcus sp., Proteus vulgaris and Salmonella abory in different concentrations (2, 3, 4 and 5% w/v) of C. moneta shell powder extract. Among these, Proteus vulgaris showed the maximum zone of inhibition (15mm size) against 5% w/v concentration, followed by Micrococcus sp. (12mm) and S. abory (10mm) against the same concentration. Conclusions: The present observation suggested that, processed C. moneta shell powder can be used as an alternative medicine, and it has antipyretic, wound healing as well as antimicrobial properties. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect