Abstract Full Text:PDF Recommended articles Mail to Author How to Cite

¹ Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Ege University, 35100, Bornova, Izmir, Türkiye
² Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, 35100, Bornova, Izmir, Türkiye
³ Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Fisheries, Ege University, 35100, Bornova, Izmir, Türkiye
⁴ Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ege University, 35100, Bornova, Izmir, Türkiye DOI : 10.4194/TRJFAS28470 Viewed : 7 - Downloaded : 4 The sea cucumbers are recognized not only for their nutritional value but also for their therapeutic and pharmaceutical properties. Therefore, detailed chemical and biological studies were aimed on the sea cucumber species H. tubulosa which is common in the Aegean Sea, for the first time. Following extraction and chromatographic separation of the n-butanol extract, seven secondary metabolites were isolated one sterol sulfate, one stanol xyloside, two sphingolipid derivatives, and three saponins. Structural elucidation was achieved using advanced spectroscopic techniques, including 1D and 2D NMR. The cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of these compounds were evaluated via the MTT assay on CCD-34Lu, PC-3, PANC-1, A549, and U-87 MG cell lines. Among the compounds, holothurin B (5) exhibited the most potent cytotoxic and apoptosis-inducing activity, particularly in PC-3 and PANC-1 cells, with IC₅₀ values of 1.22±0.15 μM and 3.92±0.35 μM, respectively. Considering these results; the substance has great potential for planning further studies as a candidate saponin for use in cancer therapy. A drug formulation containing completely local and 100% natural saponin isolated from sea cucumbers growing in our seas can be considered as a robust potential for future in vivo and clinical research. Keywords : Sea cucumber Holothuria tubulosa Saponin Holothurin B Cytotoxicity Apoptosis