Biologically active gangliosides from echinoderms

Abstract

This review will summarize the authors' studies on the structure and the biological activities of the gangliosides from echinoderms. Over 40 gangliosides have been obtained and characterized from 13 kinds of echinoderms, namely, Acanthaster planci, Asterina pectinifera, Asterias amurensis versicolor, Astropecten latespinosus, Luidia maculata, Linckia laevigata (starfish), Cucumaria echinata, Holothuria pervicax, H. leucospilota, Stichopus japonicus, S. chloronotus (sea cucumber), Comanthus japonica (feather star) and Ophiocoma scolopendrina (brittle star). The structural feature of the echinoderms gangliosides was their unique carbohydrate moieties. The biological property of the gangliosides from echinoderms, taking up in this review, was mainly neuritogenic activity.

Isolation and Anti-Fatty Liver Activity of a Novel Cerebroside from the Sea CucumberAcaudina molpadioides

“…18,20) The most common sphingoid base of mammalian sphingolipids is sphingosine (d18:1 4t ). Smaller amounts of sphinganine (d18:0) and phytosphingosine (t18:0) are frequently encountered in mammalian organisms.…”

“…13) A cerebroside from vegetable oil has been recognized in vitro for its capacity to inhibit aggregation of washed rabbit platelet. 14) From a modern viewpoint, sea cucumber is a valuable source of certain bioactive substances, including collagen, 15) polysaccharides, 16) triterpenoid saponins, 17) cerebrosides, 5) and gangliosides, 18) which can serve as natural health products and can be developed into drugs. Acaudina molpadioides is a low-value sea cucumber widely distributes around sandy coastal regions of China with abundant production.…”

Chemical Constituents and Bioactivities of Starfish

“…The main sugar is lactose, and the sugar moieties are classified into two types, either sialic acids (N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac), N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc)) or N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc; Fig. 6) attached to C(3) of galactose in a lactose moiety [195]. The natural gangliosides such as monosialoganglioside, disialoganglioside, and trisialoganglioside were isolated from the starfish, but few tetrasialoganglioside and asialoganglioside.…”

Diketopiperazines from Marine Organisms

“…These compounds are mainly isolated from marine microorganisms and phytoplankton, green algae, brown algae, red algae, sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans, molluscs, tunicates, echinoderms, and true mangrove plants [5]. According to their chemical structures, the compounds isolated form marine organisms belong to various classes of compounds, including long-chain polyols and polyethers [6], alkaloids [7 -10], monoterpenoids [11], diterpenoids [12] [13], sesterterpenoids [14 -16], peptides [17] [18], triterpene glycosides [19], gangliosides [20] [21], conotoxins [22 -24], and steroids [25].…”