Abstract
Polyhydroxylated naphthoquinones (PHNQs), known as spinochromes that can be extracted from sea urchins, are bioactive compounds reported to have medicinal properties and antioxidant activity. The MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) cell viability assay showed that pure echinochrome A exhibited a cytotoxic effect on Saos-2 cells in a dose-dependent manner within the test concentration range (15.625–65.5 µg/mL). The PHNQ extract from New Zealand sea urchin Evechinus chloroticus did not induce any cytotoxicity within the same concentration range after 21 days of incubation. Adding calcium chloride (CaCl2) with echinochrome A increased the number of viable cells, but when CaCl2 was added with the PHNQs, cell viability decreased. The effect of PHNQs extracted on mineralized nodule formation in Saos-2 cells was investigated using xylenol orange and von Kossa staining methods. Echinochrome A decreased the mineralized nodule formation significantly (p < 0.05), while nodule formation was not affected in the PHNQ treatment group. A significant (p < 0.05) increase in mineralization was observed in the presence of PHNQs (62.5 µg/mL) supplemented with 1.5 mM CaCl2. In conclusion, the results indicate that PHNQs have the potential to improve the formation of bone mineral phase in vitro, and future research in an animal model is warranted.
Highlights
Sea urchin shell contains bioactive polyhydroxylated naphthoquinone (PHNQ) pigments and derivatives of Polyhydroxylated naphthoquinones (PHNQs) substituted with ethyl, acetyl, methoxy or amino groups, that are known as echinochrome and collectively as spinochromes [1,2,3]
The PHNQs in E. chloroticus spine extracted by ethyl acetate were characterised using highThe PHNQs
The present study suggests that PHNQ extract is non-toxic to osteoblast cells at concentrations below 62.6 μg/mL, over 21 days incubation with the cells
Summary
Sea urchin shell contains bioactive polyhydroxylated naphthoquinone (PHNQ) pigments and derivatives of PHNQ substituted with ethyl, acetyl, methoxy or amino groups, that are known as echinochrome and collectively as spinochromes [1,2,3]. A wide range of biological activities has been ascribed to the spinochromes, including antioxidant, anti-microbial, and anti-inflammatory activity. Mar. Drugs 2020, 18, 373; doi:10.3390/md18070373 www.mdpi.com/journal/marinedrugs. A number of studies have reported that PHNQs are strong antioxidants that can block a number of free radical reactions, inhibit lipid peroxidation, and chelate metal ions [1,4,5,6]. PHNQs have exhibited antibacterial activity against both model human pathogenic bacteria and marine bacterial strains [7,8]. PHNQs have demonstrated protective effects against several human health disorders such as cardiovascular diseases and eye conditions, as well as displaying anti-inflammatory activity [7,9]
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