Antibacterial activities and bioactive compounds of the ethyl acetate extract of the sea cucumberHolothuria forskalifrom Tunisian coasts

Abstract

Previous scientific studies have listed chemical compounds from sea cucumber species. The ability to produce bioactive metabolites derives from their response to various ecological stresses and avoidance of predation. In view of this, the present work aimed to evaluate the antibacterial activity and quantitatively assess the active components of different organs of the sea cucumber Holothuria foskali collected from the north-east of Tunisia. The antibacterial activity of ethyl acetate extracts was tested against Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. It was revealed that Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis were inhibited by the sea cucumber extracts. To identify the composition of these extracts, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) and Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (LC-MS) methods were used. The GC-MS revealed the presence of 25 major components, the most concentrated ones were characterized as C26H27N5O6 Morphinan-4,5-epoxy-3,6-diol, 6 amino;C17H31F3O2 3-trifluoroacetoxypentadecane; C31H50O2 Stigmasta-5,22-dien-3-ol,acetate; C11H14O2 1-Phthalanol,1,3,3-trimethyl 1-phenyl; C30H48O2 Ergosta-5,22-dien-3-ol,acetate and C25H40O2 (9E)-8-Phenyl-9-octadecenoic acid methyl ester; while the LC-MS revealed the presence of eight molecules, identified as phenolic acid, phytosterol and fat-soluble vitamins. Some molecules are interesting and deserve to be explored for their potential uses as ingredients in functional foods or as raw materials for new drug forms.

Antioxidant Potential of Sea Cucumbers and Their Beneficial Effects on Human Health

“…Sea cucumber phenolics also showed antibacterial activities against various bacteria. For instance, Telahigue et al [ 29 ] prepared ethyl acetate extracts from Holothuria forskali and tested them against Bacillus cereus , Bacillus subtilis , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and Escherichia coli . It was found that ethyl acetate extracts are a good source of phenolic acids, which had the potential to inhibit E. coli and B. subtilis .…”

“…For instance, high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a mass spectroscopy (HPLC-MS) was used to identify the phenolic compounds of Holothuria forskali extracts, which were mostly phenolic acids such as quinic, gallic, rosmarinic, and salvianolic acids. The same study reported that quinic acid was abundant in different body parts, including the digestive tract, muscle, body wall, gonad, and respiratory tree, whereas only gallic acid and caffeoylquinic acid were present in the gonads of this sea cucumber [ 29 ]. Moreover, the body wall of Holothuria atra was an excellent source of chlorogenic acid (up to 92 wt%), and it also contained pyrogallol, coumaric acid, rutin, and catechin [ 30 ].…”

Effect of High-Pressure Processing (HPP) on Phenolics of North Atlantic Sea Cucumber (Cucumaria frondosa)

“…14 The presence of vanillic, gallic, p-coumaric, and caffeic acids has previously been documented in different species of sea cucumber (H. tubulosa and Holothuria forskali). 47,48 Syringic acid [M − H] − at m/z 197 showed MS 2 fragmentation ions at m/z 109, 123, 153, 163, and 179, where 153 corresponded to the loss of carboxyl group. 49 Sinapic acid was discovered with an observed [M − H] − m/z at 223, where the MS 2 spectrum was 175, 179 (loss of carboxyl moiety), and 208, matching the characteristics of sinapic acid.…”

Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity of Sea Cucumber (Cucumaria frondosa) Processing Discards as Affected by High-Pressure Processing (HPP)

“…For example, Alper and Günes [ 43 ] identified epicatechin, 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, ellagic acid, gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, p -hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid, p -coumaric acid, ferulic acid, cinnamic acid, rutin, naringin, and quercetin from the dried body wall of Holothuria tubulosa , and the most abundant component was epicatechin (790.091 µg/g). Moreover, Telahigue et al [ 44 ] identified quinic acid, gallic acid, caffeic acid, syringic acid, trans-ferulic acid, o-coumaric acid, rosmarinic acid, and salvianolic acid from dried Holothuria forskali , and among them, quinic acid was abundant in the digestive tract, gonad, and respiratory tree. Additionally, phenolic compounds were identified and quantified from the Holothuria atra and Holothuria arenicola , and the major compounds were found to be chlorogenic acid (80.34–92.86%), pyrogallol, rutin, coumaric acid, and catechin [ 45 , 46 ].…”