Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Compounds from Echinoderms

Abstract

Chronic inflammation can extensively burden a healthcare system. Several synthetic anti-inflammatory drugs are currently available in clinical practice, but each has its own side effect profile. The planet is gifted with vast and diverse oceans, which provide a treasure of bioactive compounds, the chemical structures of which may provide valuable pharmaceutical agents. Marine organisms contain a variety of bioactive compounds, some of which have anti-inflammatory activity and have received considerable attention from the scientific community for the development of anti-inflammatory drugs. This review describes such bioactive compounds, as well as crude extracts (published during 2010–2022) from echinoderms: namely, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and starfish. Moreover, we also include their chemical structures, evaluation models, and anti-inflammatory activities, including the molecular mechanism(s) of these compounds. This paper also highlights the potential applications of those marine-derived compounds in the pharmaceutical industry to develop leads for the clinical pipeline. In conclusion, this review can serve as a well-documented reference for the research progress on the development of potential anti-inflammatory drugs from echinoderms against various chronic inflammatory conditions.

In Vitro Anti-Inflammatory and Vasculoprotective Effects of Red Cell Extract from the Black Sea Urchin Arbacia lixula

“…Previous studies in different cell and animal models ascribed significant anti-inflammatory effects to sea urchin-derived compounds or crude extracts [ 3 , 4 ]. In agreement with our results, ovothiol A, having been isolated from the sea urchin eggs, inhibited the stimulated expression of adhesion molecules in endothelial cells and endothelial cell–monocyte adhesion [ 17 ].…”

“…In agreement with our results, ovothiol A, having been isolated from the sea urchin eggs, inhibited the stimulated expression of adhesion molecules in endothelial cells and endothelial cell–monocyte adhesion [ 17 ]. Echinochrome A and other sea urchin pigments reduced the production of pro-inflammatory mediators (e.g., cytokines, metalloproteases and prostaglandins), the levels of ROS in inflammatory cells including macrophages, as well as tissue accumulation of inflammatory cells, and improved cardiomyocyte and cardiac progenitor cell function [ 3 ]. A portion of these effects was associated with the modulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) [ 65 ] and NF-κB pathways [ 66 ].…”

“…Recently, research interest has increased in investigating natural products for their potential nutraceutical/pharmacological applications. Marine invertebrates, including echinoderms, are interesting sources of compounds, displaying biological activities [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Echinoderms play a key role in food webs and are a valuable resource for fisheries and aquaculture.…”

“…Since ancient history, traditional Chinese medicine has used some species of echinoderms, especially sea urchins and sea cucumbers, to treat various diseases. More recently, many species belonging to this phylum have been found to contain promising bioactive compounds relevant to human health [ 3 ]. Indeed, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antibacterial, antidiabetic, gastroprotective, anticardiotoxic and other bioactivities have been found in aqueous and organic extracts derived from spines, shells, gonads, intestines and coelomic fluid of different sea urchin species [ 4 ].…”

News and Updates from 2022 on Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Marine Products

“…In recent decades, many studies have focused on the anti-inflammatory effects of compounds from echinoderms. In this context, Ghelani et al (2022) collected research articles published between 2010 and 2022 on the anti-inflammatory properties of sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and starfish [ 10 ]. In this review, the structures, bioactivity, and molecular mechanisms of these compounds were summarized.…”