Sea Cucumber Viscera Contains Novel Non-Holostane-Type Glycoside Toxins that Possess a Putative Chemical Defense Function.

Sea cucumbers frequently expel their guts in response to predators and an aversive environment, a behavior perceived as releasing repellents involved in chemical defense mechanisms. To investigate the chemical nature of the repellent, the viscera of stressed sea cucumbers (Apostichopus japonicus) in the Yellow Sea of China were collected and chemically analyzed. Two novel non-holostane triterpene glycosides were isolated, and the chemical structures were elucidated as 3ꞵ-O-[ꞵ-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-ꞵ-D-xylopyranosyl]-(20S)-hydroxylanosta-7,25-diene-18(16)-lactone (1) and 3ꞵ-O-[ꞵ-D-quinovopyranosyl-(1→2)-ꞵ-D-xylopyranosyl]-(20S)-hydroxylanosta-7,25-diene-18(16)-lactone (2) by spectroscopic and mass-spectrometric analyses, exemplifying a triterpene glycoside constituent of an oligosaccharide containing two sugar-units and a non-holostane aglycone. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to various doses of 1 and 2 from 4 to 96 hpf. Compound 1 exposure showed 96 h-LC50 41.5 µM and an increased zebrafish mortality rates in roughly in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Compound 2, with different sugar substitution, exhibited no mortality and moderate teratogenic toxicity with a 96 h-EC50 of 173.5 µM. Zebrafish embryos exhibited teratogenic effects, such as reduced hatchability and total body length. The study found that triterpene saponin from A. japonicus viscera had acute toxicity in zebrafish embryos, indicating a potential chemical defense role in the marine ecosystem.

Effects of moldy corn on the performance, antioxidant capacity, immune function, metabolism and residues of mycotoxins in eggs, muscle, and edible viscera of laying hens.

Mycotoxins, including aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), zearalenone (ZEN) and deoxynivalenol (DON), are common contaminants of moldy feeds. Mycotoxins can cause deleterious effects on the health of chickens and can be carried over in poultry food products. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of moldy corn (containing AFB1, ZEN, and DON) on the performance, health, and mycotoxin residues of laying hens. One hundred and eighty 400-day-old laying hens were divided into 4 treatments: basal diet (Control), basal diet containing 20% moldy corn (MC20), 40% moldy corn (MC40) and 60% moldy corn (MC60). At d 20, 40, and 60, the performance, oxidative stress, immune function, metabolism, and mycotoxin residues in eggs were determined. At d 60, mycotoxin residues in muscle and edible viscera were measured. Results showed the average daily feed intake (ADFI) and laying performance of laying hens were decreased with moldy corn treatments. All the moldy corn treatments also induced significant oxidative stress and immunosuppression, reflected by decreased antioxidase activities, contents of cytokines, immunoglobulins, and increased malonaldehyde level. Moreover, the activities of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine transaminase were increased by moldy corn treatments. The lipid metabolism was influenced in laying hens receiving moldy corn, reflected by lowered levels of total protein, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, and increased total triglyceride as well as uric acid. The above impairments were aggravated with the increase of mycotoxin levels. Furthermore, AFB1 and ZEN residues were found in eggs, muscle, and edible viscera with moldy corn treatments, but the residues were below the maximum residue limits. In conclusion, moldy corn impaired the performance, antioxidant capacity, immune function, liver function, and metabolism of laying hens at d 20, 40, and 60. Moldy corn also led to AFB1 residue in eggs at d 20, 40, and 60, and led to both AFB1 and ZEN residues in eggs at days 40 and 60, and in muscle and edible viscera at d 60. The toxic effects and mycotoxin residues were elevated with the increase of moldy corn levels in feed.

Adult NTRK-rearranged spindle cell neoplasms of the viscera: with an emphasis on rare locations and heterologous elements.

NTRK-rearranged mesenchymal neoplasms mostly affect the soft tissues of pediatric patients. Given the responsiveness to selective NTRK inhibitors, it remains critical to identify those ultra-rare cases occurring in the viscera of adults. In five females and two males aged 18-53 years, we characterized visceral mesenchymal tumors harboring TPM3-NTRK1 [uterine cervix (N = 2), pleura, prostate], LMNA-NTRK1 (lung), SQSTM1-NTRK3 (heart), and NTRK3 rearrangement with unknown fusion partner (colon/mesocolon) with RNA sequencing, FISH, RT-PCR, and immunohistochemistry. The tumors exhibited spindled to ovoid/epithelioid or pleomorphic cells, often arranged in fascicles, and were low-to-intermediate-grade and high-grade in three and four cases, respectively. Keloid-like stromal collagen and perivascular hyalinization was noted in five. Adenosarcoma-like appearances were observed in two, manifesting frond-like protrusions in one cervical tumor and phyllodes-like architecture in the prostatic tumor. Abrupt high-grade transformation into pleomorphic liposarcoma was found in another cervical tumor, while the pleural tumor contained intermixed rhabdomyoblasts. Pan-TRK immunostaining was positive in all cases. All cases expressed CD34, while five were S100-positive. CDKN2A homozygous deletion with concomitant p16 loss occurred in 4/7. Whole-exome sequencing identified TP53 mutation (c.672+2T>C, involving a splice site, with concomitant protein loss) in a cervical sarcoma, limited to its heterologous liposarcomatous component. At least moderate pan-TRK immunoreactivity was present in varying proportions of potential pathologic mimics, with BCOR-positive sarcoma (56%, 5/9), undifferentiated uterine sarcoma (50%, 3/6), and spindle cell/sclerosing rhabdomyosarcoma (33%, 2/6) being among the most frequent. This underscored the unsatisfactory specificity of pan-TRK immunohistochemistry and warranted molecular confirmation in the diagnosis of adult NTRK-rearranged visceral mesenchymal neoplasms. The current report highlights the ever-expanding clinicopathologic and genetic spectrum of this entity by describing the unprecedented cardiac and pleural locations and heterologous differentiation, as well as the second NTRK-rearranged "prostatic stromal sarcoma," while substantiating CDKN2A deletion as a frequent occurrence.

Microwave-Assisted Desulfation of the Hemolytic Saponins Extracted from Holothuria scabra Viscera.

Saponins are plant and marine animal specific metabolites that are commonly considered as molecular vectors for chemical defenses against unicellular and pluricellular organisms. Their toxicity is attributed to their membranolytic properties. Modifying the molecular structures of saponins by quantitative and selective chemical reactions is increasingly considered to tune the biological properties of these molecules (i) to prepare congeners with specific activities for biomedical applications and (ii) to afford experimental data related to their structure-activity relationship. In the present study, we focused on the sulfated saponins contained in the viscera of Holothuria scabra, a sea cucumber present in the Indian Ocean and abundantly consumed on the Asian food market. Using mass spectrometry, we first qualitatively and quantitatively assessed the saponin content within the viscera of H. scabra. We detected 26 sulfated saponins presenting 5 different elemental compositions. Microwave activation under alkaline conditions in aqueous solutions was developed and optimized to quantitatively and specifically induce the desulfation of the natural saponins, by a specific loss of H2SO4. By comparing the hemolytic activities of the natural and desulfated extracts, we clearly identified the sulfate function as highly responsible for the saponin toxicity.

Optimisation of Healthy-Lipid Content and Oxidative Stability during Oil Extraction from Squid (Illex argentinus) Viscera by Green Processing.

Green extraction was applied to Argentinean shortfin squid (Illex argentinus) viscera, consisting of a wet pressing method including a drying step, mechanic pressing, centrifugation of the resulting slurry, and oil collection. To maximise the oil yield and ω3 fatty acid content and to minimise the oil damage degree, a response surface methodology (RSM) design was developed focused on the drying temperature (45-85 °C) and time (30-90 min). In general, an increase of the drying time and temperature provided an increase in the lipid yield recovery from the viscera. The strongest drying conditions showed a higher recovery than 50% when compared with the traditional chemical method. The docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acid contents in the extracted oil revealed scarce dependence on drying conditions, showing valuable ranges (149.2-166.5 and 88.7-102.4 g·kg-1 oil, respectively). Furthermore, the values of free fatty acids, peroxides, conjugated dienes, and ω3/ω6 ratio did not show extensive differences by comparing oils obtained from the different drying conditions. Contrary, a polyene index (PI) decrease was detected with increasing drying time and temperature. The RSM analysis indicated that optimised drying time (41.3 min) and temperature (85 °C) conditions would lead to 74.73 g·kg-1 (oil yield), 1.87 (PI), and 6.72 (peroxide value) scores, with a 0.67 desirability value.

Identifying Potential Antioxidant Properties from the Viscera of Sea Snails (Turbo cornutus).

Turbo cornutus, the horned turban sea snail, is found along the intertidal and basaltic shorelines of Jeju Island, Korea. T. cornutus feeds on seaweeds (e.g., Undaria sp., and Ecklonia sp.) composed of diverse antioxidants. This study identified potential antioxidant properties from T. cornutus viscera tissues. Diverse extracts were evaluated for their hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) scavenging activities. T. cornutus viscera protamex-assisted extracts (TVP) were purified by gel filtration chromatography (GFC), and potential antioxidant properties were analyzed for their amino acid sequences and its peroxidase inhibition effects by in silico molecular docking and in vitro analysis. According to the results, T. cornutus viscera tissues are composed of many protein contents with each over 50%. Among the extracts, TVP possessed the highest H2O2 scavenging activity. In addition, TVP-GFC-3 significantly decreased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and increased cell viability in H2O2-treated HepG2 cells without cytotoxicity. TVP-GFC-3 comprises nine low molecular bioactive peptides (ELR, VGPQ, TDY, ALPHA, PAH, VDY, WSDK, VFSP, and FAPQY). Notably, the peptides dock to the active site of the myeloperoxidase (MPO), especially TDY and FAPQY showed the MPO inhibition effects with IC50 values of 646.0 ± 45.0 µM and 57.1 ± 17.7 µM, respectively. Altogether, our findings demonstrated that T. cornutus viscera have potential antioxidant properties that can be used as high value-added ingredients.

Characterization and bioactivities of phospholipids from squid viscera and gonads using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-Q-exactive orbitrap/mass spectrometry-based lipidomics and zebrafish models.

There has been great interest in phospholipids (PLs) from marine by-products due to their long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids with unique health and functional properties. Here, marine PLs from squid viscera and gonads were comprehensively characterized and compared by UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap/MS-based lipidomics analysis. A total of thirteen phospholipid classes including 1223 molecular species were identified and quantified in both resources. PC, PE and SM were further isolated from the total PLs of squid viscera and gonads, respectively. All isolated squid PL components were first evaluated for anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and cardiovascular effects using in vivo zebrafish models. Our results showed the diversity, content and physiological functions of PLs from squid by-products, which provided a basis for their future application in the nutritional and pharmaceutical industry.

Characterization of lipid profiling in three parts (muscle, head and viscera) of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) using lipidomics with UPLC-ESI-Q-TOF-MS.

A lipidomic evaluation was performed on the tilapia muscle, head and viscera, including studying the composition, distribution and stereospecific characteristics of fatty acids and lipid species. The head and viscera lipids were significantly richer than the muscle lipids. Triacylglycerols were the predominant fraction (over 80% of total lipid in the muscle and head). Additionally, polyunsaturated fatty acids had higher percentages in phospholipids (30.35-52.05% of total fatty acids) than in triacylglycerols (18.11-25.15%). The C52:2 and C52:3 were the most abundant triacylglycerols, which indicates the potential application in infant food. Moreover, 622, 530 and 513 lipids were identified using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry in the muscle, head and viscera, respectively. The three tilapia parts were distinguished using multivariate analysis. Five fatty acids and 33 lipid species were considered as the potential biomarkers. This comprehensive analysis will help to evaluate the lipid nutritional values and facilitate exploitation in tilapia consumption and processing.

Preparation and antioxidant activities of polysaccharides obtained from abalone viscera by combination of enzymolysis and multiple separation methods.

Abalone viscera were byproducts of the abalone processing and usually discarded as wastes. In this study, we tried to obtain functional polysaccharides from abalone viscera by a combination of enzymatic hydrolysis, membrane separation, anion exchange chromatography, and gel filtration techniques. Abalone viscera underwent successive hydrolyzation with alcalase and flavourzyme. Each enzymolysis was followed by deproteinization via membrane separation. The final yield of crude abalone viscera polysaccharide (CAVP) was 19.72%; the polysaccharide content of CAVP was 51.75%. Furthermore, three fractions of polysaccharides (AVP1, AVP2, and AVP3) were isolated from the CAVP by anion exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The molecular weights of each AVP were 14.99 kDa, 58.48 kDa, and 39.63 kDa, with a carbohydrate content of 62.75, 23.09, and 44.67%, respectively. These AVPs showed excellent antioxidant activities in vitro. Our results provide a scientific basis for the further utilization of polysaccharides from abalone viscera. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study demonstrated an eco-friendly approach for industrial production of high purity animal-derived polysaccharides without any environmental pollution caused by the viscera waste of abalone and promoting the comprehensive utilization of abalone resources.

Antibacterial Activity and Potential Application in Food Packaging of Peptides Derived from Turbot Viscera Hydrolysate.

As a good choice for food preservation, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have received much attention in recent years. In this paper, peptides derived from the turbot viscera hydrolysate were identified by ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS), and the physicochemical properties and structural characteristics were analyzed by in silico tools. Furthermore, three cationic peptides with potential hydrophobicity and amphipathy were synthesized; their cytotoxicity, hemolysis, and antibacterial activities were investigated. In particular, Sm-A1 (GITDLRGMLKRLKKMK), a peptide with 16 amino acids, showed an outstanding antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria by damaging the cell membrane integrity. Moreover, Sm-A1 was successfully loaded into hydroxyl-rich poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/chitosan (CS) hydrogel to improve the antibacterial activity and biofilm inhibition effect. PVA/CS+7.5‰ Sm-A1 hydrogel can satisfactorily protect the salmon muscle from the microbiological contamination and texture deterioration.

Effects of Enzymatic Hydrolysis Conditions on the Antioxidant Activity of Red Tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) Viscera Hydrolysates.

BACKGROUND: Fish is an essential source of nutrients for human nutrition due to the composition of proteins, vitamins, and minerals, among other nutrients. Enzymatic hydrolysis represents an alternative for the use of by-products of the aquaculture industry. OBJECTIVE: We propose to evaluate the effect of stirring speed, temperature, and initial protein concentration on the degree of hydrolysis of proteins and antioxidant activity of red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) viscera hydrolysates. METHODS: The effect of stirring speed, temperature, and initial protein concentration on the degree of hydrolysis of proteins and antioxidant activity was evaluated using an experimental design that was adjusted to a polynomial equation. The hydrolysate was fractioned to determine the antioxidant activity of the fractions, and functional properties were also measured. RESULTS: Stirring speed and protein concentration presented a statistically significant effect (p <0.05) on all the response variables. However, the temperature did not present a statistically significant effect on the degree of hydrolysis. DISCUSSION: The best conditions of hydrolysis were stirring speed of 51.44 rpm, a temperature of 59.15°C, and the protein concentration of 10 g L-1. The solubility of the hydrolysate protein was high at different pH, and the hydrolysate fraction with the highest antioxidant activity has a molecular weight <1 kDa. CONCLUSION: The degree of hydrolysis and the biological activity of red tilapia viscera hydrolysates (Oreochromis spp.) are affected by temperature, substrate concentration, and stirring speed. The optimal conditions of hydrolysis allowed to obtain a hydrolysate with antioxidant activity are due to the peptides with low molecular weight.

Composition of chemical elements in the edible viscera of Tibetan pigs and its correlation with environment and feed.

The main purpose of this research was to evaluate the element distribution in the edible viscera of Tibetan pigs and to clarify its correlation with soils, drinking water and feed. A total of 55 chemical elements were simultaneously quantified. P, K, Na, Mg, Ca, Fe and Zn were the most abundant elements in the analyzed viscera. The general distribution of all element concentrations in the viscera of Tibetan pigs was such that liver > kidney > small intestine > heart = lung = large intestine > stomach. Comparison with national and international allowable limits of toxic elements indicates that consumption of Tibetan pig viscera presents potential health risks. Spearman correlation analysis reveals that significantly (p < 0.0001) positive relationships exist between the element profiles of viscera and drinking water, soils as well as feed. For all edible viscera, the largest values of correlation coefficient were observed to be with corn feed. Our research provides a relatively comprehensive investigation of the elemental composition in Tibetan pig viscera. The correlation data would be helpful for the local farm to reformulate the feed for Tibetan pigs to improve the quality and safety of the viscera.

Separation, purification, structural analysis and immune-enhancing activity of sulfated polysaccharide isolated from sea cucumber viscera.

A novel sulfated polysaccharide (SCVP-1) was isolated from sea cucumber viscera and purified to elucidate its structure and immune-enhancing ability. SCVP-1 was found to be a homogeneous polysaccharide with a relative molecular weight of 180.8 kDa and composed of total sugars (60.2 ±â€¯2.6%), uronic acid (15.3 ±â€¯1.8%), proteins (6.8 ±â€¯0.8%), and sulfate groups (18.1 ±â€¯0.9%). SCVP-1 consisted of mannose, glucosamine, glucuronic acid, N-acetyl-galactosamine, glucose, galactose and fucose at an approximate molar ratio of 1.00:1.41:0.88:2.14:1.90:1.12:1.24. The fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses showed that SCVP-1 was a kind of glycosaminoglycan. And the sulfation patterns of the fucose branches were Fuc2,4S, Fuc3,4S and Fuc0S. The surface morphology of SCVP-1 presented loose and irregular sheet structure formed by aggregation of polysaccharide molecules with spherical structure. Moreover, SCVP-1 promoted the production of nitric oxide (NO) and cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α) by RAW264.7 cells as well as the expression of related genes (iNOS, IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α) and also enhanced their phagocytic activity through TLR4-mediated activation of the MAPKs and NF-κB signaling pathways. This study suggests that sea cucumber viscera are good sources of polysaccharides and SCVP-1 might be a novel immunomodulator.

Structural characterization and anticoagulant activity of two polysaccharides from Patinopecten yessoensis viscera.

In the present study, two polysaccharides, SVP2-1 and SVP2-2, were isolated from Patinopecten yessoensis viscera and purified by using DEAE-52 cellulose and Sepharose CL-6B. Both SVP2-1 and SVP2-2 could extend activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and thrombin time (TT) and inhibit the transformation of fibrinogen into fibrin (FIB) concentration-dependently, indicating they inhibited clotting and thrombin through intrinsic and common pathways. Of note, SVP2-2 had stronger anticoagulant activity than SVP2-1, and its backbone was determined as →6)-α-Manp (1 → 2)-α-Galp(1 → with Xyl or Glc substituted at C4 of Gal. Based on monosaccharide composition analysis, methylation analysis, and NMR analysis. Further comparison of their monosaccharide analysis and NMR spectra indicates SVP2-1 and SVP2-2 possess the same core structure features, so the higher sulfate content and lower molecular weight may be the possible reasons for the stronger anticoagulant capability of SVP2-2. The present study suggests acidic polysaccharides from scallop viscera as promising anticoagulant candidates.

Structure and Neuroprotective Effect of Polysaccharide from Viscera Autolysates of Squid Ommastrephes bartrami.

To explore bioactive polysaccharides from the byproducts of squid processing, a heteropolysaccharide, named SV2-1, was isolated from the viscera of squid Ommastrephes bartrami by autolysis, anion-exchange and gel-permeation chromatography and measured for its neuroprotective activity. It was a homogeneous polysaccharide with a molecular weight of 2.3 kDa by HPSEC analysis. SV2-1 contained glucuronic acid, galactosamine and fucose in the ratio of 1.0:1.1:1.2. Its structural characteristics were elucidated by methylation analysis, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The backbone of SV2-1 was composed of alternant →4)-α-l-Fucp-(1→ and →3)-ß-d-GlcUA-(1→ Most of →4)-α-l-Fucp-(1→ (90%) was substituted by single α-d-GlcNAc as the branches. SV2-1 can protect against the death of PC12 induced by 6-OHDA, and effectively improves cell viability and reduces extracellular LDH release in PC12 cells after injury. Moreover, SV2-1 significantly increases SOD activity but decreases MDA levels.

Fabrication of highly stable silver nanoparticles using polysaccharide-protein complexes from abalone viscera and antibacterial activity evaluation.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are eco-friendly antibacterial agents, yet their use is limited by their facile aggregation and precipitation. Therefore, the development of highly stable AgNPs is desirable. Herein, a polysaccharide-protein complex (PSP) was successfully obtained from viscera of abalone through a combination of enzymatic hydrolysis, membrane filtration, and gel permeation chromatography. Furthermore, highly stable AgNPs were successfully synthesized by using PSP as a reducing and capping agent in situ. AgNPs were firmly capped by PSP through the formation of AgO, AgN, and AgS bonds, as observed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscopy. Such capping of AgNPs by PSP contributed to the stable dispersion of PSP-AgNP composites at room temperature for 12 months, as evidenced by visual inspection and multiple light scattering. Furthermore, PSP-AgNPs were found to have an excellent antibacterial activity and biocompatibility. The proposed synthesis of AgNPs with high antibacterial activity, dispersibility, and biocompatibility will be of likely benefit in the field of life science and technology.

A unique structural distribution pattern discovered for the cerebrosides from starfish Asterias amurensis.

Cerebroside is an important family of the mono-glycosylated ceramides involved in the larger family of glycosphingolipid and sulfatide. Cerebroside is synthesized from ceramide by the transfer of glucose from UDP-glucose, and degraded back to ceramide, which plays an important role at the epidermis protecting interior of the body as a barrier. Because cerebroside is regarded as the source molecule of ceramide and is amphiphilic in nature, cerebroside is considered valuable as the ingredient of cosmetic lotion. Various sources can be considered as raw material of cerebrosides. Starfish is considered as one of such potent source. However, the structure of the ceramide part of cerebroside is not fully investigated. Therefore, the individual structures of cerebroside molecules need to be identified including sphingosine and fatty acyl group composition to assess the potential of the molecule. We investigated and determined the structures of cerebrosides in starfish Asterias amurensis using LC-MS, GC-MS, tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), and 1H NMR. We also discovered a characteristic structure distribution that was divided into three major groups: 1) a group composed of a relatively long sphingosine (C22) and a short length of fatty acyl group (less than C16), 2) a group composed of a typical C18 sphingosine and long fatty acyl groups (greater than C23), and 3) a group composed of C18 sphingosine and fatty acyl groups with their length less than C18. The calculated Log P values of cerebrosides ranging from 9 to 11 covered about 80% of the molecules that were in the range of those used in cosmetics, thus showing the potential usefulness of starfish Asterias amurensis as a source of raw material for cerebrosides.

Viscera of fishes as raw material for extraction of glycosaminoglycans of pharmacological interest.

World fisheries and aquaculture production totaled 167 million tons in 2014. This high fish production generates a lot of waste that could be used as raw material for extraction of substances of pharmacological interest. In this work, we extract and characterize glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) present in the viscera of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and Pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus), which are among the most vastly produced fishes in inland aquaculture in Brazil. Moreover, the anticoagulant activity of the GAGs fractions was evaluated. GAGs were obtained from total defatted viscera, after proteolysis, precipitation with ethanol, anion exchange chromatography and treatment with chondroitinase. Chondroitin sulfate (CS), dermatan sulfate (DS) and heparan sulfate (HS) were identified by agarose gel electrophoresis and NMR analyses. CS, DS and HS were identified in equivalent fractions obtained from both fishes, and all GAGs fractions showed anticoagulant activity.

Distribution of Saponins in the Sea Cucumber Holothuria lessoni; the Body Wall Versus the Viscera, and Their Biological Activities.

Sea cucumbers are an important ingredient of traditional folk medicine in many Asian countries, which are well-known for their medicinal, nutraceutical, and food values due to producing an impressive range of distinctive natural bioactive compounds. Triterpene glycosides are the most abundant and prime secondary metabolites reported in this species. They possess numerous biological activities ranging from anti-tumour, wound healing, hypolipidemia, pain relieving, the improvement of nonalcoholic fatty livers, anti-hyperuricemia, the induction of bone marrow hematopoiesis, anti-hypertension, and cosmetics and anti-ageing properties. This study was designed to purify and elucidate the structure of saponin contents of the body wall of sea cucumber Holothuria lessoni and to compare the distribution of saponins of the body wall with that of the viscera. The body wall was extracted with 70% ethanol, and purified by a liquid-liquid partition chromatography, followed by isobutanol extraction. A high-performance centrifugal partition chromatography (HPCPC) was conducted on the saponin-enriched mixture to obtain saponins with a high purity. The resultant purified saponins were analyzed using MALDI-MS/MS and ESI-MS/MS. The integrated and hyphenated MS and HPCPC analyses revealed the presence of 89 saponin congeners, including 35 new and 54 known saponins, in the body wall in which the majority of glycosides are of the holostane type. As a result, and in conjunction with existing literature, the structure of four novel acetylated saponins, namely lessoniosides H, I, J, and K were characterized. The identified triterpene glycosides showed potent antifungal activities against tested fungi, but had no antibacterial effects on the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. The presence of a wide range of saponins with potential applications is promising for cosmeceutical, medicinal, and pharmaceutical products to improve human health.

Galectin-3-binding protein: A multitask glycoprotein with innate immunity functions in viral and bacterial infections.

Galectin-3-binding protein (Gal-3BP) is a ubiquitous and multifunctional secreted glycoprotein originally identified and mainly studied in the context of neoplastic transformation and cancer progression. However, Gal-3BP expression is induced in viral infection and by a multitude of molecules that either mimic or are characteristic for an ongoing inflammation and microbial infection, such as IFN-α, IFN-ß, IFN-γ, TNF-α, poly(I:C), dsRNA, and dsDNA. Furthermore, Gal-3BP belongs to the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) domain-containing protein family, by virtue of its N-terminal SRCR domain. The SRCR domain is found in soluble or membrane-associated innate immunity-related proteins and is implicated in self-nonself discrimination. This review summarizes the current knowledge of structural features of Gal-3BP and its proposed intracellular and extracellular innate immunity functions with special emphasis on viral and bacterial infections.