Showing papers on "Holothuria published in 2018"

Distribution of Saponins in the Sea Cucumber Holothuria lessoni; the Body Wall Versus the Viscera, and Their Biological Activities

Abstract: Sea cucumbers are an important ingredient of traditional folk medicine in many Asian countries, which are well-known for their medicinal, nutraceutical, and food values due to producing an impressive range of distinctive natural bioactive compounds. Triterpene glycosides are the most abundant and prime secondary metabolites reported in this species. They possess numerous biological activities ranging from anti-tumour, wound healing, hypolipidemia, pain relieving, the improvement of nonalcoholic fatty livers, anti-hyperuricemia, the induction of bone marrow hematopoiesis, anti-hypertension, and cosmetics and anti-ageing properties. This study was designed to purify and elucidate the structure of saponin contents of the body wall of sea cucumber Holothuria lessoni and to compare the distribution of saponins of the body wall with that of the viscera. The body wall was extracted with 70% ethanol, and purified by a liquid-liquid partition chromatography, followed by isobutanol extraction. A high-performance centrifugal partition chromatography (HPCPC) was conducted on the saponin-enriched mixture to obtain saponins with a high purity. The resultant purified saponins were analyzed using MALDI-MS/MS and ESI-MS/MS. The integrated and hyphenated MS and HPCPC analyses revealed the presence of 89 saponin congeners, including 35 new and 54 known saponins, in the body wall in which the majority of glycosides are of the holostane type. As a result, and in conjunction with existing literature, the structure of four novel acetylated saponins, namely lessoniosides H, I, J, and K were characterized. The identified triterpene glycosides showed potent antifungal activities against tested fungi, but had no antibacterial effects on the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. The presence of a wide range of saponins with potential applications is promising for cosmeceutical, medicinal, and pharmaceutical products to improve human health.

Anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory activities of the sea cucumber Holothuria polii aqueous extract:

Abstract: Objective:Sea cucumbers are considered among the most important functional foods. Following bioassay guided fractionation, we assessed the anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory activities of Hol...

Seasonal Variation in the Length-Weight Relationships and Condition Factor of Four Commercially Important Sea Cucumbers Species from Karachi Coast- Northern Arabian Sea

Abstract: Length-weight relationships and condition assessment are a common practice in fisheries analyses; however, such information is unknown for most sea cucumber species. The present study investigated length-weight relationships and relative condition indices of four commercially important sea cucumbers: Holothuria arenicola, Holothuria atra, Holothuria pardalis and Holothuria verrucosa. Additionally, the seasonal variations obtained between three climatic seasons (pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon) were analyzed. The results showed that the four species grow allometrically, with negative allometric b values ranging from 0.84 to 1.74. There were significant differences of length-weight relationships between climatic seasons for H. arenicola and H. atra. The lower b values were observed during post-monsoon and the higher b values during monsoon in three of the four species. During the post-monsoon, the condition of the bigger individuals of H. arenicola and H. atra was lower than that of the small individuals. The differences in length-weight relationships of H. pardalis and H. verrucosa were not significant between climatic events. The higher temperatures occurred during monsoon and the lower during post-monsoon, but these data only showed a significant correlation with the relative condition factor of H. arenicola. Best condition of the individuals of H. arenicola occurred at temperatures between 22 to 31°C. Studies about environmental variables and characteristics of the substratum type are necessary in order to complement the understanding of the length-weight relationships and condition of these species.

A new insight into the influence of habitat on the biochemical properties of three commercial sea cucumber species

Abstract: This work makes a comparative evaluation of the biochemical profile of three sea commercial cucumber species (Holothuria mammata, H. polii and H. tubulosa) caught from different locations of the Mediterranean Sea (SE Spain). All species had high levels of moisture (from 73.6% in H. mammata to 81.2% in H. tubulosa), crude ash (from 9.61% in H. mammata to 14.7% in H. tubulosa) and protein (3.01% in H. tubulosa to 11.1% in H. mammata). They also had a low fat content, from 0.21% in H. tubulosa to 0.55% in H. mammata. Holothuria polii had intermediate values between the other two species, for all considered variables. All species had adequate protein/lipid ratios (H. mammata, 20:1; H. polii, 23:1; H. tubulosa, 14:1) and low lipid levels, enriched in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially arachidonic acid. The fatty acid profile suggests that H. polii is feeding on sediments more influenced by terrestrial inputs than the remaining species. Holothuria mammata and H. tubulosa are feeding on marine food sources mainly, but also with some terrestrial influence. The most abundant amino acids detected were alanine, arginine, glutamic acid, and glycine. All species had similar contents of essential amino acids (EAA) and ratios of EAA/non-essential amino acids. Holothuria tubulosa had a high content of toxic metals including Cr, Pb and Ni. This work highlights differences in compositional characteristics between different species of the same genus (Holothuria) from different locations.

Identification and distribution of sea cucumber exploited in Lampung, Indonesia

Abstract: Setyastuti A, Wirawati I, Iswari MY. 2018. Identification and distribution of sea cucumber exploited in Lampung, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 19: 726-732. Recently approx. 54 species of sea cucumbers were successfully listed that still being exploited from Indonesian waters. However, out of those only 33 species were taxonomically confirmed because the identification of remaining 21 species need to be verified. Inventory on commercial sea cucumber in Bakaheuni water, Lampung was conducted to bridge the gap in fisheries data by addressing the understanding of the diversity of species exploited for trade. Eight commercially important species of sea cucumber were discovered viz. Actinopyga echinites, A. mauritiana, Holothuria (Halodeima) atra, Holothuria (Thymiosycia) impatiens, Holothuria (Acanthotrapeza) coluber, Pearsonothuria graeffei, Stichopus ocellatus and Stichopus vastus during the present study. Two most interesting species namely Actinopyga mauritiana was one of the species that fortuitously confirmed its utilization status as commercial species through this study, and Stichopus ocellatus is newly reported species in Indonesia, not only from fisheries point of view but also taxonomical studies. Hence, the findings of the present study will prove best for the updating of the list of sea cucumber species fished in Indonesia for trade purpose. Till date, we can paraphrase that the number of sea cucumber being involved in a trade is 55 species. It was also concluded that almost 90% of over 650 individuals of sea cucumber found in Bakaheuni waters was observed in the intertidal area, out of which Holothuria atra is the most abundant one. Data presented also revealed that local fishermen are not interested to exploit the low-value species of sea cucumber.

First record of Holothuria (Metriatyla) scabra Jaeger, 1833 (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) from the coastal waters of the United Arab Emirates.

Abstract: The presence of an endangered and economically valuable species of sea cucumber, Holothuria (Metriatyla) scabra Jaeger, 1833, was investigated in the Alqurm Wa Lehhfaiiah Protected Area near the city of Kalba in the Emirate of Sharjah. Sea cucumber specimens were collected, and identification was first conducted using morphological keys. H. scabra identification was confirmed through microscopic observation of ossicles. Though this species is known to occur in other regions along the Gulf of Oman, this paper represents the first published record of H. scabra, in the coastal waters of the United Arab Emirates.

First Evidence of Artificial Fission in two Mediterranean Species of Holothurians: Holothuria tubulosa and Holothuria polii

Abstract: Holothurians, or sea cucumbers, are a common group of echinoderms occurring in most benthic marine habitats in temperate and tropical oceans. Sea cucumbers, already known as bioactive compounds producers, are increasingly seen as a new source of food worldwide. Actions to foster a sustainable development of the resource they represent are increasingly encouraged. Fission is a way of asexual reproduction reported in these organisms. This natural ability to split their body into two parts is generally shown by various tropical species of holothurians, but it has been never reported for Mediterranean species from Italian waters. Inducing fission in order to double individual numbers would be a promising option for culture and restocking purposes. The present study reports the first evidence of transverse induced fission, after experiments of fission stimulation, in two edible holothurian species from the Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy). Survival and regeneration times after being forced to undergo transverse fission are reported.

First record of a-sexual reproduction by fission in Holothuria (lessonothuria) verrucosa (Selenka, 1867) from coastal waters of Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract: An experiment of a-sexual reproduction by fission was conducted on sea cucumber, Holothuria (Lessonothuria) verrucosa (Selenka, 1867) for 98 days. Anterior fission was observed on Day 1 with the formation of fission on the body of the sea cucumber. Initial length of 14 cm and weight of 21 g was measured at Day 1 in an aquarium under laboratory condition. Complete fission was observed on Day 7 of experiment by formation of 2 specimens; A and P. Initial length and weight for A was 4.5 cm and 3.18 g, while P was 9.5 cm and 17.30 g respectively. Increased weight for specimen A was observed on Day 20 with the first observation of the formation of anal pore. Tentacles started to form on specimen P on Day 34. Complete formation of anus on specimen A was seen on the 98th day of experiment with final weight of 3.84 g and length of 4.6 cm. Large growth of tentacle was also seen on Day 98 of the experiment with a final weight of the specimen P as 17.56 g and length as 9.7 cm.

The Use of Methanolic Extract of Persian Gulf Sea Cucumber, Holothuria, as Potential Anti-Cancer Agents

Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most malignant of liver cancer globally. Melanoma is also a highly aggressive and deadly cancer with a poor prognosis given its drug resistance.A defect in apoptosis pathway is one of the key mechanisms that contribute to drug resistance in cancer. An important sea marine animal is the Holothuria, also known as the sea cucumber, which has various pharmacological activities. Scientists have begun to further investigate on the natural bioactive compounds found in marine animals showing anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. H. sabra and H. parva, sea cucumbers are known to show the mentioned properties. Cancerous induced animals were applied for mitochondrial investigations. The mitochondria isolated from Hepatocytes and melanoma cells via differential centrifuges was treated with various concentrations (250, 500 and 1000 µg/ml) of metanolic extract of H. parva and H. sabra. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, mitochondrial swelling, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and cytochrome c release resulting from the selective toxicity of various dilution of methanolic extract of H. sabra and H. parva on mitochondria isolated from cancerous induced animals were determined. Our results show that different concentrations (250, 500 and 1000µg/ml) of themethanolicextract significantly (p<0.05) induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and mitochondrial swelling, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) disruption and increased cytochrome c release only in HCC mitochondria and melanoma mitochondria, in a time-and concentration dependent manner (In comparison to the control group). Our study suggest that given bioactive compounds found in mentioned sea cucumbers can potentially introduced as anti-cancer molecules. Further studies such as molecular identification, in vivo experiments and clinical trials can confirm these results.

Densidad poblacional y estructura de talla del pepino de mar Holothuria (Halodeima) grisea (Aspidochirotida: Holothuriidae) en aguas someras del sur del golfo de Morrosquillo, Caribe Colombiano

Abstract: Density population and size structure of the sea cucumber Holothuria (Halodeima) grisea (Aspidochirotida: Holothuriidae) in shallow waters south of the gulf of Morrosquillo, Colombian Caribbean. Holothuria grisea, despite not being considered a commercial resource has been the subject of illegal extractions in Colombia, a fact that becomes more serious due to the empty of biological information of these organisms. For this reason the density population and size structure of H. grisea were evaluated in three sectors south of the gulf of Morrosquillo from April to November 2015. To this end, three circular transects were located each month in each sampling site covering an area of 300 m2, where individuals were counted and measured in situ. The average density of H. grisea in the study area was 0.4 ind m-2, with the highest values in the La Ahumadera (1.09 ± 0.11 ind m-2) and the lowest values in Banco de Arena (0.02 ± 0.004 ind m-2). The analysis of variance showed a significance in the values of density and size of H. grisea in the studied sectors. The species presented a unimodal distribution of sizes with an average size of 13.5 ± 0.9 cm with a minimum size of 2.5 and a maximum of 30 cm, intermediate sizes generally showed a higher representativeness throughout this study (77.2 %). The biological aspects presented in this paper are of great importance for the conservation of this species and corresponds to an advance in the knowledge of the Holothuroidea class in the Colombian Caribbean. Rev. Biol. Trop. 66(2): 776-787. Epub 2018 June 01.

Analysis of mercury (hg) in four holothurians species (phylum-echinodermata) from karachi coast-northern arabian sea

Abstract: Nowadays metal bioaccumulation in holothuroids is increasing and is a cause of worry owing to toxicity. In the present study the concentrations of mercury (Hg) were measured in holothuroids ( Holothuria ( Thymiosycia ) arenicola Semper, 1868 , Holothuria ( Lessonothuria ) pardalis Selenka, 1867 , Holothuria ( Lessonothuria ) verrucosa Selenka, 1867 and Holothuria ( Halodeima ) atra Jaeger, 1833 ) collected during different seasons (pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon) in 2015 at Buleji and Sunehri coasts of Karachi, Pakistan. Hg concentrations of tentacles were higher than those in muscle, tentacle and gut tissues of the pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon. The lowest Hg concentrations were found in muscle tissues at all seasons in Buleji and Sunehri coasts. The mean levels in the muscle tissues were 0.018 mg/kg dry wt. for H . a renicola , 0.024 mg/kg dry wt. for H. verrucosa , 0.026 mg/kg dry wt. for H. pardalis and 0.036 mg/kg dry wt. for H. Atra . The results indicate that according to the European Union legislation the Hg amounts in all tissues of holothurians is much lower than permitted levels. In terms of Estimated Weekly Intakes, this current work also proved that there was no likely health hazard to consumers on account of intake of sea cucumbers under the current consumption rate in Buleji and Sunehri coasts of Karachi, Arabian Sea.

A revision of Holothuria (Halodeima) kefersteinii (Selenka, 1867) and the revival of Holothuria inornata Semper, 1868 from sea cucumbers collected in Mexico and Central America.

Abstract: In 1958 Deichmann synonymized Holothuria inornata Semper, 1868 with Holothuria kefersteinii (Selenka, 1867) This nomenclature has been adopted until now However, some specimens recently collected from the Mexican Pacific matched the original description of H inornata Semper (1868) whereas others matched the original description by Selenka (1867) A morphological, molecular and ecological study of the specimens was conducted to confirm the identification of these specimens The morphological characters of our specimens were compared with those contained in the original descriptions and figures of the types of both species Besides the different color pattern of live specimens of both species, the main differences found are the presence of straight distally perforated rods in the dorsal papillae, and the presence of Holothuriophilus trapeziformis Nauck, 1880 in the cloaca of H inornata, versus the absence of these kind of rods in the dorsal papillae, and the absence of symbionts in the cloaca in H kefersteinii The species identified by Deichmann (1958) as H kefersteinii is, in fact H inornata Both species might have been confused because the morphology of preserved specimens is very similar and the presence of the straight rods in papillae might have been overlooked during identification A more thorough review of the ossicles from the specimens, together with the comparison of ossicles from the type specimens, has allowed the resurrection of long-forgotten species, H inornata

Species identification and molecular phylogenetics of processed sea cucumbers from Malaysian market based on 12S mitochondrial rRNA gene

Abstract: Extensive processing of sea cucumber causes body deformation of the marine organism, hence causing difficulties in species identification of processed sea cucumbers. Due to the copresence of cases of unlabelled or mislabelled sea cucumber products in Malaysian markets and worldwide, a study was conducted to determine the species identities of processed sea cucumbers from selected Malaysian markets using non-protein-coding 12S mitochondrial rRNA gene. Phylogenetic analyses based on the distance-based Neighbour Joining method, and the character-based methods i.e. the Maximum Parsimony method, Maximum Likelihood method, and the Bayesian Analysis method of 81 ingroup sequences representing 63 processed sea cucumber specimens, 13 fresh and processed reference samples for species identification, and five fresh additional specimens from Teluk Nipah Beach, Pangkor Archipelago and Manukan Island, Sabah suggested the presence of three main clusters i.e. a gamat family cluster consisting of family Stichopodidae (Stichopus horrens, Stichopus vastus, and Thelenota anax) and two clusters of timun laut family comprising family Holothuriidae (Holothuria (Mertensiothuria) leucospilota, Holothuria (Metriatyla)scabra, Holothuria (Metriatyla) lessoni, Holothuria (Halodeima) atra, and Holothuria (Halodeima) edulis) and family Caudinidae (Acaudina molpadioides). The outcomes of this study also highlighted the availability of 40 new 12S mitochondrial rRNA gene sequences deposited in the GenBank that can be utilised by the enforcement agencies to monitor and overcome the issues of species substitution and product mislabelling of processed sea cucumber products in Malaysian markets.

A Study on Fatty Acid Profile and Some Major Mineral Contents of Sea Cucumber (Holothuria (platyperona) sanctori) from Mediterranean Sea (Turkey)

Abstract: This study was carried out to detect the concentration of fatty acid and some major minerals (P, Mg, Na, Ca) in sea cucumber ( Holothuria (platyperona) sanctori ) obtained from Mediterranean sea (Turkey). In fatty acid composition, the monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) fraction was dominant (14.85%) followed by polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFAs, 9.53%) and saturated fatty acids (SFAs, 9.04%). The order of avarega macro minerals concentrations found in samples was Ca>Na>Mg>P. End of the study, the results showed that Holothuria (platyperona) sanctori ) obtained from Mediterranean sea (Turkey) has a low amount of major mineral and fatty acid content when compared with other economical sea cucumber species. However, PUFA/SFA and n3/n6 ratios were found ( 1.05 and 1.87) in good range. Keywords: Fatty acids, minerals, sea cucumber, Holothuria (platyperona) sanctori , Mediterranean sea

Size distribution and growth pattern of Holothuria atra and Holothuria scabra in the coastal waters of Morella, Central Maluku Indonesia

Abstract: Research to study size distribution and growth pattern of sea cucumber was conducted in the coastal waters of Morella, Central Maluku Indonesia on April to September 2018. Sampling with replacement method was used in this study. Sea cucumber collected was let to relax about 10 minutes and then measured. Length was measured from the tip of the mouth to tip of the anus to nearest mm using plastic ruler while weight was weighted to nearest 0.1g by using digital balance. Totally, there were 114 individuals of Holothuria atraand 111 individuals of H. scabra collected during the research. Length of H. atra and H. scabra ranged from 9.6 to 31.6 cm and 7.5-28.0 cm, respectively while their weight ranged from 26.0 g to 201.0 g and 38.0 to137.6 g, respectively. Analysis of length weight relationship showed that H. atra as well as H. scabra had negative allometric growth pattern.

Uncommon Ossicle in Holothuria (Mertensiothuria) Leucospilota from Teluk Nipah, Pangkor Island

Abstract: The high popularity of a commercial sea cucumber species on Pangkor Island (i.e. Stichopus horrens) has resulted in a lack of studies on Holothuria (Mertensiothuria) leucospilota from Pangkor Island, Perak, Malaysia. S. horrens is the main ingredient of gamat-based traditional medicine on the resort island, while H. leucospilota is the most dominant species. For that reason, this study aimed to isolate ossicles from a specimen of morphospecies H. leucospilota collected from Teluk Nipah Beach, Pangkor Island; and to determine the shapes of the ossicles for species verification. A number of six ossicle shapes were observed. Beside buttons and tables as the common ossicle shapes; I-shaped rod, long I-shaped rod, branched rod, and spider-shaped rod were also documented. Nonetheless, the spider-shaped rod is an unusual ossicle shape in H. leucospilota as there was no previous record on it, thus it could be considered as a new finding. In summary, the results of this research indicate the uniqueness of the specimen of morphospecies H. leucospilota as a result of the presence of the spider-shaped rod. More studies with more samples, more morphological approaches as well as more molecular techniques need to be incorporated in future for a better insight.

Taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationship of some Algerian shallow-water sea cucumber species (Holothuroidea: Echinodermata) deduced from mitochondrial DNA sequences

Abstract: The present study focuses on the taxonomic revision and phylogeny of some shallow-water Algerian sea cucumber species belonging to the genus Holothuria [the two morphotypes (A & B) of Holothuria (Holothuria) tubulosa (Gmelin, 1791); Holothuria (Roweothuria) poli (Delle Chiaje, 1824) and Holothuria (Roweothuria) arguinensis (Koehler et Vaney, 1906)]. The nucleotide sequences of the 16S rRNA gene obtained by [1] were used to construct the phylogenetic tree of the studied specimens. Our results showed that the two morphotypes (A & B) of Holothuria (H.) tubulosa are genetically separated. We also reported a close genetic relationship between the two morphotypes of Holothuria (H.) tubulosa (A & B) and Holothuria (R.) arguinensis. Holothuria (R.) poli is the most divergent species and is in a paraphyletic position with the other studied specimens. Sequence analyses of the 16S rRNA gene revealed the presence of 58 polymorphic sites: 79.25% of these sites are parsimoniously informative and 20.75% are singletons. The means of haplotype diversity (Hd) and nucleotide diversity (π) were very high. Keywords— Echinodermata, Holothuria, Phylogenetic systematics, 16S rRNA, Haplotypes, Algerian basin.

THE FIRST RECORD OF Holothuria (Semperothuria) Roseomaculata KERR, 2013 (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) IN INDONESIA

Abstract: This paper documents the first record of Holothuria (Semperothuria) roseomaculata Kerr, 2013 (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) from Indonesia. A freshly salted specimen was collected from fishers in Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. This species was previously recorded from Yap and Chuuk States in the Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Okinawa-Japan, Sabah, Borneo-Malaysia, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Reference material has been deposited in the Reference Collection of the Research Center for Oceanography, Indonesian Institute of Sciences in Jakarta, Indonesia.