Sea cucumbers may help slow the spread of cancer, and without the side effects

Best known for their role in cleaning the ocean floor, sea cucumbers may also hold the key to slowing the progression of cancer.

A new study has found that a sugar compound derived from these marine creatures can block an enzyme linked to cancer growth – without the side effects of current treatments.

The findings come from a research team led by the University of Mississippi (UM) in collaboration with Georgetown University.

By examining the biochemistry of a specific sea cucumber species, scientists uncovered a natural compound that targets Sulf-2, an enzyme known to promote cancer development and spread.

Understanding sea cucumbers – the basics

Sea cucumbers are soft-bodied marine animals that inhabit ocean floors across the globe, from shallow coastal waters to the deep sea.

Despite their name, they are not vegetables but echinoderms – relatives of sea stars and sea urchins.

Their elongated, leathery bodies help them navigate through sand and sediment, where they play a vital ecological role as bottom feeders.

By ingesting organic matter from the sea floor and excreting cleaner sediment, sea cucumbers contribute significantly to nutrient cycling and the health of marine ecosystems.

In addition to their ecological importance, sea cucumbers have drawn attention for their medicinal and culinary value, particularly in East and Southeast Asia.

Rich in collagen, vitamins, and bioactive compounds, they have long featured in traditional remedies and gourmet dishes.

Unique sugars with powerful effects

Marwa Farrag is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the UM Department of BioMolecular Sciences.

“Marine life produces compounds with unique structures that are often rare or not found in terrestrial vertebrates,” Farrag explained.

“The sugar compounds in sea cucumbers are unique. They aren’t commonly seen in other organisms. That’s why they’re worth studying.”

Farrag led the cancer study, which focused on a molecule called fucosylated chondroitin sulfate, extracted from Holothuria floridana, a species of sea cucumber.

Through lab testing and computer modeling, the team showed that this compound can successfully inhibit Sulf-2, the enzyme that cancer cells often manipulate to help them spread.

Slowing the progression of cancer

Our cells are coated in complex sugar structures called glycans, which help regulate immunity, communication, and the detection of foreign threats.

In cancer cells, Sulf-2 enzyme patterns change, creating glycan structures that aid disease progression.

“The cells in our body are essentially covered in ‘forests’ of glycans,” said senior author Vitor Pomin, an associate professor of pharmacognosy at UM.

“Enzymes change the function of this forest – essentially prunes the leaves of that forest. If we can inhibit that enzyme, theoretically, we are fighting against the spread of cancer.”

The team’s experiments showed that the sea cucumber compound effectively blocks Sulf-2 activity. Notably, these results aligned with what their computer simulations had predicted.

“We were able to compare what we generated experimentally with what the simulation predicted, and they were consistent,” said co-author Robert Doerksen, a professor of medicinal chemistry at UM. “That gives us more confidence in the results.”

Safer cancer therapy

One of the most promising aspects of the sea cucumber compound is its safety. Many existing treatments that inhibit Sulf-2 also interfere with blood clotting – a serious risk for cancer patients.

“If you are treating a patient with a molecule that inhibits blood coagulation, then one of the adverse effects that can be pretty devastating is uncontrolled bleeding,” said co-author Joshua Sharp, a UM associate professor of pharmacology.

“So, it’s very promising that this particular molecule that we’re working with doesn’t have that effect.”

The research suggests that a marine-based drug like this could be both safer and more feasible to produce than animal-based alternatives.

“Some of these drugs we have been using for 100 years, but we’re still isolating them from pigs because chemically synthesizing it would be very, very difficult and very expensive,” Sharp said. “That’s why a natural source is really a preferred way to get at these carbohydrate-based drugs.”

Clean, efficient drug sources

Harvesting compounds from marine life also carries fewer health risks than obtaining them from land animals, especially when it comes to viral contamination.

“It’s a more beneficial and cleaner resource,” Pomin said. “The marine environment has many advantages compared to more traditional sources.”

Still, some people in parts of Asia consider sea cucumbers a delicacy, so they aren’t a limitless resource. Harvesting large numbers for pharmaceutical use would be impractical and environmentally damaging.

“One of the problems in developing this as a drug would be the low yield, because you can’t get tons and tons of sea cucumbers,” Pomin said.

“We have to have a chemical route, and when we’ve developed that, we can begin applying this to animal models.”

Cancer research collaboration

The study brought together specialists in chemistry, pharmacology, computational biology, and marine science. It highlights how tackling cancer demands expertise from many different fields.

“This research took multiple expertise – mass spectrometry, biochemistry, enzyme inhibition, computation,” Pomin said. “It’s the effort of the whole team.”

Though still in early stages, this research could pave the way for a new class of cancer therapies derived from the ocean.

These treatments may be both effective and safe. With further development, the strange-looking sea cucumber may soon play an unexpected role in cancer, one of medicine’s biggest battles.

The study is published in the journal Glycobiology.

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