Antifungal activity of aqueous and methanolic extracts from the Mediterranean sea cucumber, Holothuria polii

Abstract Crude extracts and semi-purified fractions (F5, F6) from the Mediterranean sea cucumber, Holothuria polii , collected from the bay of Tabarka (Tunisia coast) were evaluated for their antifungal activity against filamentous fungi and yeast. The activity was determined in vitro, using the well diffusion test in the casitone agar medium. Both the aqueous and the methanolic extracts were found to produce, in a concentration-related manner (600–1500 μg/well) a significant antifungal activity. The semi-purified fractions (F5, F6) of both extracts exhibited also a significant antifungal activity in a concentration-related manner (150–300 μg/well). The strains of Aspergillus fumigatus were more susceptible to these extracts and derived fractions, while those of Trichophyton rubrum were found to be less susceptible. No activity was observed against strains of Candida albicans . These findings suggest that the polar active fractions (F5, F6) obtained from aqueous and methanolic extracts could contain a new antifungal compound(s). The purification and the determination of chemical structure of compound(s) of these active fractions are under investigation.

[1]  S. G. Batrakov,et al.  [Triterpene glycosides with antifungal activity isolated from the sea cucumber, Cucumaria japonica]. , 1980, Antibiotiki.

[2]  M. Kaswandi,et al.  The potential of the coelomic fluid in sea cucumber as an antioxidant. , 1999, Malaysian journal of nutrition.

[3]  E. Pelletier,et al.  Quantification of phenolic contents and antioxidant capacity of Atlantic sea cucumber, Cucumaria frondosa , 2007 .

[4]  M. J. Trinidad-Roa.  Beche-de-mer fishery in the Philippines , 1987 .

[5]  L. Stabili,et al.  Protease inhibitor in Holothuria polii coelomic fluid , 1991 .

[6]  H. Chludil,et al.  Cytotoxic and antifungal triterpene glycosides from the Patagonian sea cucumber Hemoiedema spectabilis. , 2002, Journal of natural products.

[7]  A. Murray,et al.  Patagonicoside A: a novel antifungal disulfated triterpene glycoside from the sea cucumber Psolus patagonicus , 2001 .

[8]  M. M. Anisimov,et al.  [Comparative study of the antifungal activity of triterpene glycosides of Pacific Ocean holothuria]. , 1972, Doklady Akademii nauk SSSR.

[9]  R. Kumar,et al.  Antifungal activity in triterpene glycosides from the sea cucumber Actinopyga lecanora. , 2007, Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry letters.

[10]  J. Baron,et al.  [11C]S21007, a putative partial agonist for 5-HT3 receptors PET studies. Rat and primate in vivo biological evaluation. , 1997, Life sciences.

[11]  M. Alcaraz,et al.  Anti-inflammatory activity in mice of extracts from Mediterranean marine invertebrates. , 1998, Life Science.

[12]  T. Molinski,et al.  Screening of marine invertebrates for the presence of ergosterol-sensitive antifungal compounds. , 1993, Journal of natural products.

[13]  G. J. Bakus.  Defensive mechanisms and ecology of some tropical holothurians , 1968 .

[14]  Y. Harada,et al.  Constituents of holothuroidea, 12. Isolation and structure of glucocerebrosides from the sea cucumber Holothuria pervicax. , 2002, Chemical & pharmaceutical bulletin.

[15]  M. Pivkin.  Filamentous fungi associated with holothurians from the sea of Japan, off the primorye coast of Russia. , 2000, The Biological bulletin.

[16]  V. Stonik,et al.  Immunomodulatory Properties of Cucumariosides from the Edible Far-Eastern Holothurian Cucumaria japonica. , 2001, Journal of Medicinal Food.

[17]  C. Liaw,et al.  Intercedensides A-C, three new cytotoxic triterpene glycosides from the sea cucumber Mensamaria intercedens Lampert. , 2003, Journal of natural products.

[18]  P. Roch,et al.  Studies onHolothuria polii (Echinodermata) antibacterial proteins. I. Evidence for and activity of a coelomocyte lysozyme , 1989, Experientia.