Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia.
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan.
Mar Drugs. 2011;9(10):1761-1805. doi: 10.3390/md9101761. Epub 2011 Oct 10.
Sea cucumbers, belonging to the class Holothuroidea, are marine invertebrates, habitually found in the benthic areas and deep seas across the world. They have high commercial value coupled with increasing global production and trade. Sea cucumbers, informally named as bêche-de-mer, or gamat, have long been used for food and folk medicine in the communities of Asia and Middle East. Nutritionally, sea cucumbers have an impressive profile of valuable nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin B1 (thiamine), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (niacin), and minerals, especially calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc. A number of unique biological and pharmacological activities including anti-angiogenic, anticancer, anticoagulant, anti-hypertension, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antithrombotic, antitumor and wound healing have been ascribed to various species of sea cucumbers. Therapeutic properties and medicinal benefits of sea cucumbers can be linked to the presence of a wide array of bioactives especially triterpene glycosides (saponins), chondroitin sulfates, glycosaminoglycan (GAGs), sulfated polysaccharides, sterols (glycosides and sulfates), phenolics, cerberosides, lectins, peptides, glycoprotein, glycosphingolipids and essential fatty acids. This review is mainly designed to cover the high-value components and bioactives as well as the multiple biological and therapeutic properties of sea cucumbers with regard to exploring their potential uses for functional foods and nutraceuticals.
海参，属于海参纲，是海洋无脊椎动物，通常生活在世界各地的海底和深海区域。它们具有很高的商业价值，伴随着全球产量和贸易的不断增长。海参，在亚洲和中东社区俗称海茄子或海黄瓜，长期以来一直被用作食品和民间药物。在营养方面，海参含有大量有价值的营养物质，如维生素 A、维生素 B1（硫胺素）、维生素 B2（核黄素）、维生素 B3（烟酸）和矿物质，特别是钙、镁、铁和锌。多种独特的生物和药理活性，包括抗血管生成、抗癌、抗凝、降血压、抗炎、抗菌、抗氧化、抗血栓形成、抗肿瘤和伤口愈合，都归因于各种海参物种。海参的治疗特性和药用功效可以与广泛存在的生物活性物质联系起来，特别是三萜糖苷（皂苷）、硫酸软骨素、糖胺聚糖（GAGs）、硫酸多糖、甾醇（糖苷和硫酸盐）、酚类、海参毒素、凝集素、肽、糖蛋白、糖脂和必需脂肪酸。本综述主要旨在涵盖海参的高价值成分和生物活性，以及多种生物和治疗特性，以探索其在功能性食品和营养保健品中的潜在用途。
