Potential use of sea cucumber compounds in cancer treatment

Lyudmila S. Dolmatova; Lyudmila S. Dolmatova

doi:10.3934/molsci.2026013

AIMS Molecular Science

2026, Volume 13, Issue 3: 251-292. doi: 10.3934/molsci.2026013

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Review

Potential use of sea cucumber compounds in cancer treatment

Lyudmila S. Dolmatova ^,

Laboratory of biochemistry, V.I. Il'ichev Pacific Oceanological Institute, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia

Received: 05 December 2025 Revised: 03 April 2026 Accepted: 06 May 2026 Published: 01 June 2026

New effective tumor-specific and patient-safe drugs are in demand for cancer treatment. Various classes of substances from holothurians (sea cucumbers) have a number of unique structural properties that provide their high cytotoxicity and other anticancer activities. Until recently, the main attention of researchers was focused on triterpene glycosides (TGs), primarily isolated from commercially used species of sea cucumbers. TGs have pronounced anticancer activity, but in many cases cause side effects. The aim of this review was to analyze data on the anticancer effects of the most studied classes of compounds isolated from sea cucumbers (TGs, proteins and peptides, sphingolipids, polysaccharides), including species that are not used, their mechanisms of action, and approaches to ensuring their safe use in anticancer therapy. The analysis revealed high anticancer activity of the studied compounds against a wide range of tumors, which is performed largely through different mechanisms. The safety of using TGs increases when combined with some compounds of other chemical classes, which is manifested in the absence of a significant side effect on healthy cells. High efficacy and safety of experiments using a wide range of compounds isolated from sea cucumbers demonstrate that they are promising candidates for anticancer drugs.
- cancer therapy,
- holothurians,
- polysaccharides,
- proteins,
- sphingolipids,
- triterpene glycosides
Citation: Lyudmila S. Dolmatova. Potential use of sea cucumber compounds in cancer treatment[J]. AIMS Molecular Science, 2026, 13(3): 251-292. doi: 10.3934/molsci.2026013

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Abstract

New effective tumor-specific and patient-safe drugs are in demand for cancer treatment. Various classes of substances from holothurians (sea cucumbers) have a number of unique structural properties that provide their high cytotoxicity and other anticancer activities. Until recently, the main attention of researchers was focused on triterpene glycosides (TGs), primarily isolated from commercially used species of sea cucumbers. TGs have pronounced anticancer activity, but in many cases cause side effects. The aim of this review was to analyze data on the anticancer effects of the most studied classes of compounds isolated from sea cucumbers (TGs, proteins and peptides, sphingolipids, polysaccharides), including species that are not used, their mechanisms of action, and approaches to ensuring their safe use in anticancer therapy. The analysis revealed high anticancer activity of the studied compounds against a wide range of tumors, which is performed largely through different mechanisms. The safety of using TGs increases when combined with some compounds of other chemical classes, which is manifested in the absence of a significant side effect on healthy cells. High efficacy and safety of experiments using a wide range of compounds isolated from sea cucumbers demonstrate that they are promising candidates for anticancer drugs.

Acknowledgments

The study was performed as part of the state assignment of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (no. 121021500052-9).

Conflict of interest

The author declares no conflicts of interest in this paper.

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