- Asian Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences (2014) Volume 4, Issue 35

Pharmacological Potentials of Sea Cucumber Holothuria Atra Extracts from the Indian Ocean

Drugs derived from marine organisms are currently used to cure infectious diseases. Marine invertebrates collected from the intertidal regions of the Indian coast have shown promising biological activities. Sea cucumbers are soft-bodied worm-like echinoderms which belong to the class Holothuroidae. Anti inflammatory activity was detected using Carrageenan induced rat paw edema method. The analgesic activity was performed using tail immersion method. Antipyretic activity was analysed using Brewer’s yeast induced hyperpyrexia method.CNS was determined using Locomotor activity. Immunomodulatory activity was tested using Carbon clearance test. Antioxidant activity was measured using DPPH method. Pharmacological studies showed that the anti inflammatory bustle of methanol extracts in Holothuria atra at the concentration of 100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o on rats showed significant decrease in the paw thickness in a dose dependent manner when compared to that of the control, at the 5th hour of administration. Similarly the highest inhibition rate seen in H. atra extracts was 84% showed analgesic activity. Then antipyretic, immunomodulatory and CNS depressant activities were found to be moderate. The methanol extract of H.atra showed high antioxidant activity with IC50 value of 300. Overall results provide information that sea cucumber H. atra could be explored as a potential source of high-value bioactive metabolites and could be used in the pharmaceutical industry.

Author(s): Dhinakarana DI, Liptonb AP

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