Biological Activities of the Sea Cucumber Holothuria leucospilota

New Cytotoxic Cerebrosides from the Red Sea Cucumber Holothuria spinifera Supported by In-Silico Studies

“…Research on marine-derived natural products emerged as early as the 19th century, and since 1980, the study of marine-derived natural products has led to the discovery of potential applications in drug development [4,5]. As a result of this intense research, more than 10,000 bioactive metabolites have so far been discovered [6]. The marine ecosystem is recognized as a treasure trove of unprecedented bioactive natural products and nutraceuticals with exceptional structural and chemical properties [7,8].…”

“…Today, there is rising interest in exploiting marine diversity and complexity for drug discovery [9]. Many bioactive compounds have been isolated from different groups of marine organisms; among them are corals, tunicates, sponges, and sea cucumbers [6]. The Egyptian Red Sea coast and the Gulf of Aqaba host numerous marine communities, and one of the most abundant marine taxa in that area are the holothurians (sea cucumbers) [10].…”

“…The Egyptian Red Sea coast and the Gulf of Aqaba host numerous marine communities, and one of the most abundant marine taxa in that area are the holothurians (sea cucumbers) [10]. They belong to the phylum Echinodermata, class Holothuroidea, and are commonly known as holothurians, comprising about 1200 known species worldwide [6]. Sea cucumbers constitute a huge group of organisms, from which a vast range of secondary metabolites have been isolated-among them, cerebrosides [11,12].…”

“…Sea cucumbers constitute a huge group of organisms, from which a vast range of secondary metabolites have been isolated-among them, cerebrosides [11,12]. These compounds possess several pharmacologically relevant bioactivities, such as antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, or anticancer effects [6]. It has also been reported that sea cucumber extracts show multiple biological activities, such as wound healing, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory effects [6].…”

“…These compounds possess several pharmacologically relevant bioactivities, such as antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, or anticancer effects [6]. It has also been reported that sea cucumber extracts show multiple biological activities, such as wound healing, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory effects [6]. Metabolomics encompass comprehensive analysis of the total number of metabolites within a biological sample using a specific set of parameters; metabolomics could serve as a reliable method to provide a picture of the central information of a cell, tissue, or whole organism [13].…”