Colochirus robustus, a species of sea cucumber, has long been used in East and Southeast Asia as nutritious food as well as for certain medicinal purpose. Studies have shown a number of biological functions associated with consumption of sea cucumber, many of which are attributed to its major component, sea cucumber peptides (SCP). However, how SCP impacts immune system, which is critical for h...

Total glucocerebrosides of the sea cucumber Cucumaria frondosa (CFC) have been isolated from the less polar lipid fraction of the chloroform-methanol extract using high speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) with a two-phase solvent system composed of petroleum ether-methanol-water (5:4:1, v/v). Three glucocerebroside molecular species (CFC-1, CFC-2 and CFC-3) were isolated from crude tot...

BACKGROUND Holothuria arenicola is the most important and abundant sea cucumber species in the Mediterranean Sea on the Egyptian coast. The present study aims to assess the anti-oxidative and anticholestatic effects of the sea cucumber Holothuria arenicola extract (HaE) in a model of bile duct ligation in male albino rats. METHODS Fifty four male Wistar albino rats were assigned into two main...

In Carapus homei, reef colonisation is associated with a penetration inside a sea cucumber followed by heavy transformations during which the length of the fish is reduced by 60%. By comparing vertebral axis to otolith ontogenetic changes, this study aimed (i) to specify the events linked to metamorphosis, and (ii) to establish to what extent these fish have the ability to delay it. Different l...

Sea cucumbers belonging to echinoderm are traditionally used as tonic food in China and other Asian countries. They produce abundant biologically active triterpene glycosides. More than 300 triterpene glycosides have been isolated and characterized from various species of sea cucumbers, which are classified as holostane and nonholostane depending on the presence or absence of a specific structu...

The Far Eastern sea cucumber Eupentacta fraudatrix is an inhabitant of shallow waters of the south part of the Sea of Japan. This animal is an interesting and rich source of triterpene glycosides with unique chemical structures and various biological activities. The objective of this study was to investigate composition and distribution in various body components of triterpene glycosides of the...

Sulfated fucans, the complex polysaccharides, exhibit various biological activities. Herein, we purified two fucans from the sea cucumbers Holothuria edulis and Ludwigothurea grisea. Their structures were verified by means of HPGPC, FT-IR, GC-MS and NMR. As a result, a novel structural motif for this type of polymers is reported. The fucans have a unique structure composed of a central core of ...

Echinoderms are independent and quite special branch of world animals. Sea cucumbers are among the strangest members of echinoderm class regarding their structure and physiology. These fauna have been tested with regard to anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-coagulants, anti-virus, cytotoxic, hemolytic and anti-HIV features. In this study, the antibacterial activity of Holothuria leucospilota...

Two new triterpene glycosides, scabraside A (1) and B (2), and a structurally known compound (3), were isolated from the sea cucumber Holothuria scabra (Holothuriidae) collected from the South China Sea. Structure of these compounds was elucidated by spectroscopic and chemical methods. The glycosides 1 and 2 exhibit the same common structural features, i. e., the presence of 12- and 17-hydroxy ...

echinoderms are independent and quite special branch of world animals. sea cucumbers are among the strangest members of echinoderm class regarding their structure and physiology. these fauna have been tested with regard to anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-coagulants, anti-virus, cytotoxic, hemolytic and anti-hiv features. in this study, the antibacterial activity of holothuria leucospilota sea...