Sea cucumbers belong to the Class Holothuroidea of marine invertebrates.They are commercially valuable and prized as a food and folk medicine in Asia.Nutritionally,sea cucumbers have an impressive profile of valuable ...Sea cucumbers belong to the Class Holothuroidea of marine invertebrates.They are commercially valuable and prized as a food and folk medicine in Asia.Nutritionally,sea cucumbers have an impressive profile of valuable nutrients such as vitamins,minerals and amino acids.A number of unique biological and pharmacological activities/properties,including anticancer,anticoagulant/antithrombotic,antimicrobial,antioxidant,antihyperlipidemic,antihyperglycemic,anti-inflammatory,antihypertension and radioprotective,have been ascribed to various compounds isolated from sea cucumbers.The therapeutic properties and medicinal benefits of sea cucumbers can be linked to the presence of a wide array of bioactives,especially triterpene glycosides,acid mucopolysaccharide,sphingoid bases,glycolipids,fucosylated chondroitin sulfate,polysaccharides,phospholipids,cerebrosides,phosphatidylcholines,and other extracts and hydrolysates.This review highlights the valuable bioactive components as wellas the multiple therapeutic properties of sea cucumbers with a view to exploring their potential uses as functional foods and a natural source of new multifunctional drugs.展开更多
文摘Sea cucumbers belong to the Class Holothuroidea of marine invertebrates.They are commercially valuable and prized as a food and folk medicine in Asia.Nutritionally,sea cucumbers have an impressive profile of valuable nutrients such as vitamins,minerals and amino acids.A number of unique biological and pharmacological activities/properties,including anticancer,anticoagulant/antithrombotic,antimicrobial,antioxidant,antihyperlipidemic,antihyperglycemic,anti-inflammatory,antihypertension and radioprotective,have been ascribed to various compounds isolated from sea cucumbers.The therapeutic properties and medicinal benefits of sea cucumbers can be linked to the presence of a wide array of bioactives,especially triterpene glycosides,acid mucopolysaccharide,sphingoid bases,glycolipids,fucosylated chondroitin sulfate,polysaccharides,phospholipids,cerebrosides,phosphatidylcholines,and other extracts and hydrolysates.This review highlights the valuable bioactive components as wellas the multiple therapeutic properties of sea cucumbers with a view to exploring their potential uses as functional foods and a natural source of new multifunctional drugs.
