Potential of green sea urchins as a source of medicinal preparations

Green sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis, are marine invertebrates of the phylum Echinodermata and are distributed in a wide range of areas in the Atlantic Ocean as well as in the polar region including the Barents Sea. Shells, coelomic fluid, digestive tract, and gonads of sea urchins are rich sources for value added pharmaceuticals.

Polyhydroxy-1, 4-naphthoquinone pigments from shell showed potent antiradical activity which exceeds by 10 times that of ascorbic acid. Pigments significantly reduced histamine-induced contractions of the isolated guinea pig ileum with ID₅₀= 1.2 µg/mL, had an inhibitory effect on the model of ocular allergic inflammation in rabbits surpassing the reference drug olopatadine, demonstrated hypoglycemic activity in model of STZ-induced type 2 diabetes in mice. Peptides/amino acids complexes from coelomic fluid possess anti-inflammatory activity in rats and significantly dose-dependent inhibition of DPP-4. Lipophilic extract from gonads decrease concentration of glucose, reduce glycosylated hemoglobin surpassing the reference drug metformin, protect Langerhans islets, and has antihypertensive effect in model of metabolic syndrome of rats. Extract from the digestive tract of sea urchins has anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating activity by selective inhibition of COX-2, and inhibition of MAPK p38 activation.