Phytochemical Screening, Antioxidant Effect and Down Regulation of TGF-B Induced by Ophiocoma erinaceus Brittle Star Crude Extract

Background: Recent investigations get focused on characterization and isolation of natural compounds with pharmaceutical applications from terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem. Marine invertebrate natural products have been proposed due to various structural diversity. Ophiocoma eraniceus (O. erinaceus) is a brittle star species belonging to Echinodermata that distributed in Qeshm island in the Persian Gulf. Recent scientist researches have concentrated on discovery of natural resources with pharmacological and biomedical potential. Objectives: This experiment aimed to discover phytochemical analysis and in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of O. erinaceus methanolic extract. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, the phytochemical analysis were conducted to determine saponin, phenolic and flavonoid content of brittle star and the free radical scavenging activity with two in vitro assays. In addition, the effect of methanolic brittle star extract on TGF-B expression were analysed by RT-PCR. Results: The phytochemical studies established the presence of saponins, phenol, and flavonoids compounds in the brittle star extract and the antioxidant results from DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS (azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) revealed that O. erinaceus displayed antioxidant activity as dose dependent manner. On the other hand, O. erinaceus extract inhibited TGF-B expression which indicate anti-inflammatory properties of O. erinaceus. Conclusions: In conclusion, these results clearly exhibited that the O. erinaceus methanolic extract possess valuable constituents that may correspond as a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent useful in biomedicine.