Biologically Active Triterpene Glycosides from Sea Cucumbers (holothuroidea, Echinodermata)

Sea cucumbers are characterized by their content in holothurins, triterpenoid glycosides that are responsible for the toxicity of these echinoderms. Nearly 100 holothurins isolated in the last twenty years are grouped into three main aglycone structural types: 3p-hydrox>iiolost-9(ll)-ene, 3p-hydrox5*iolost-7-ene and nonholostane based aglycones. This communication offers a general view of the structural characteristics of these saponins and the spectral features in their Ĥand ^̂ C-NMR and FAB-MS spectra. Recent advances in the unambiguous spectroscopic characterization of the triterpenoid skeleton, the substitution patterns and the complete structure of the oligosaccharide chain are discussed.