Biologically active triterpene glycosides from Sea Cucumbers (Holothuroidea, Echinodermata)

HUGO CHLUDIL,; ANA PAULA MURRAY; ALICIA SELDES,; MAIER, MARTA SILVIA

Studies in Natural Products Chemistry

ELSEVIER SCIENCE

Lugar: No Informado; Año: 2003; p. 587 - 616

Sea cucumbers are characterized by their content in holothurins, triterpenoid glycosides that are responsible for the toxicity of these echinoderms. Nearly 100 holothurins isolated in the last twenty years are grouped into three main aglycone structural types: 3b-hydroxyholost-9(11)-ene, 3b-hydroxyholost-7-ene and non-holostane based aglycones. This communication offers a general view of the structural characteristics of these saponins and the spectral features in their 1H- and 13C-NMR and FAB-MS spectra. Recent advances in the unambiguous spectroscopic characterization of the triterpenoid skeleton, the substitution patterns and the complete structure of the oligosaccharide chain are discussed.