Bioactive compounds of sea cucumbers and their therapeutic effects

Abstract Sea cucumbers belong to the Class Holothuroidea of marine invertebrates. They are commercially valuable and prized as a food and folk medicine in Asia. Nutritionally, sea cucumbers have an impressive profile of valuable nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids. A number of unique biological and pharmacological activities/properties, including anticancer, anticoagulant/antithrombotic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antihyperlipidemic, antihyperglycemic, anti-inflammatory, antihypertension and radioprotective, have been ascribed to various compounds isolated from sea cucumbers. The therapeutic properties and medicinal benefits of sea cucumbers can be linked to the presence of a wide array ofbioactives, especially triterpene glycosides, acid mucopolysaccharide, sphingoid bases, glycolipids, fucosylated chondroitin sulfate, polysaccharides, phospholipids, cerebrosides, phosphatidylcholines, and other extracts and hydrolysates. This review highlights the valuable bioactive components as well as the multiple therapeutic properties of sea cucumbers with a view to exploring their potential uses as functional foods and a natural source of new multifunctional drugs.

Hepatitis B among Inuit: A review with focus on Greenland Inuit

Hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection is a disease with a highly variable course. Chronic HBV infection may cause end-stage liver disease including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, which is the 3rd most common cause of cancer related death due to the poor prognosis. The prevalence of HBV infection is low in many countries. Still, it remains important due to the potential consequences of the disease. HBV is endemic in the Arctic with serologic markers of chronic HBV infection in up to 29% of the population in some areas in Greenland. Interestingly, Inuit populations rarely show signs of liver disease despite the fact that around half of all Inuit has been exposed to HBV and around 8% of Inuit are chronically infected with HBV. These findings have been consistent in surveys conducted for more than four decades among Arctic Inuit. We thus review HBV infection in the Arctic with focus on Greenland Inuit and compared with Inuit in Canada, Alaska and Siberia. The aspects described include epidemiology and monitoring of the disease, as well as treatment and the risk of liver cancer.

Modified Dachengqi Tang improves decreased gastrointestinal motility in postoperative esophageal cancer patients

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the clinical effects of modified Dachengqi Tang(DCQT) on promoting gastrointestinal motility in post-operative esophageal cancer patients.METHODS:Sixty postoperative esophageal cancer patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to the modified treatment group or the control group(30 patients in each group).Patients in the treatment group were given DCQT made from decocted herbs and administered via nasojejunal tube at a dosage of 150 mL.Gastrointestinal motility was assessed by recording time for recovery of bowel sounds,flatus,defecation,and the total amount of gastric drainage during the first three postoperative days.Plasma motilin(MTL) and vasoactive intestinal peptide(VIP) were measured one hour before and three days after surgery.RESULTS:Compared with the control group,the times to first bowel sound,flatus,and defecation were significantly shorter and there was less gastric drainage in the treatment group(P < 0.01,P < 0.01,P < 0.01,and P < 0.05,respectively).In the treatment group,postoperative plasma MTL was significantly higher(P < 0.01) and VIP was significantly lower than those in the control group(P < 0.05).There was no difference found in either MTL or VIP from before to after operation in the treatment group(P > 0.05).MTL was significantly lower and VIP was higher postoperatively in the control group,compared to before surgery(P < 0.01).CONCLUSION:Modified DCQT effectively improved decreased gastrointestinal motility in postoperative esophageal cancer patients by increasing MTL and reducing VIP.