In vitro enzymatic inhibitory activities of Echinoderm extracts

Damaging free radicals instigate a chain of biochemical reactions that give rise to notable degenerative diseases such as diabetes mellitus, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and various cardiovascular diseases, which are all included in the top ten causes of death worldwide in 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO). [ 3 ] The study aimed to evaluate the antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and antihypertensive activities of the hexane (H) and methanol (M) crude extracts of five (5) Echinoderm species, namely, Marthasterias glacialis (Mg), Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis (Sd), Acanthaster planci (Ap), Choriaster granulatus (Cg), and Culcita novaeguineae (Cn). The crude extracts were subjected to α-glucosidase, 15-LOX, Acetylcholine Esterase (AChE), and Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitory assays [ 1 ] [ 2 ]. Results revealed that among the extracts, ApH exhibited the highest α-glucosidase inhibition (72.85%) followed by SdM (50.65%), and CgH (28.41%) at a well concentration of 20 μg/mL. Anti-inflammatory activities of CnM, ApH, MgH were 28.24%, 19.77%, and 10.81%, respectively at 10 μg/mL well concentration. Compared to the control, MgM inhibited AChE activity by 18.68%, ApH by 16.89%, and CgM by 14.48% at 100 μg/mL. ACE inhibition was registered by almost all the extracts with ApM (55.71%) leading, followed by CgH (53.43%), and CgM (53.14%) compared to the control at 16.67 μg/mL. Among the Echinoderm species studied, Ap and Cg show antidiabetic and antihypertensive potentials. The authors declare no conflict of interest. Publication History Article published online: 05 March 2026 © 2026. Thieme. All rights reserved. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany