Pigment screening, phytochemical test, and cytotoxicity testing of the ethanol extract of Holothuria atra sea cucumber from Lemukutan island waters

Abstract

Background: Holothuria atra is a type of sea cucumber found in the waters of Lemukutan Island, West Kalimantan, which has economic and ecological benefits. Personal experience found the presence of a water- soluble pigment when isolating sea cucumbers, which was bright red, thus drawing attention. Research on the water-soluble pigment of the ethanol extract of H. atra from Lemukutan Island waters has not been carried out yet. Natural pigments in sea cucumbers have a specific role as part of secondary metabolite compounds with the potential of having antimicrobial, antifungal, anticancer, antitumor, antiviral, anticoagulant, and antioxidant activities. Objective: This study aimed to determine the natural pigments, secondary metabolites, and cytotoxic compounds in the ethanolic extract ofH. atra. Methods: Samples of H. atra were extracted with 96% ethanol. The pigment analysis used a UV-Vis spectrophotometry while the secondary metabolites was tested by the phytochemical screening method, and the cytotoxicity testing involved the Brine Shrimp Lethal Toxicity (BSLT) method. Results: The obtained optimum absorption was 230 nm, which indicated a melanin pigment. The phytochemical test on the ethanolic extract of H. atra found flavonoid, phenolic, alkaloid, saponin, and triterpenoid compounds. The cytotoxicity test based on LC50 was 6.985 ppm, indicating the extract was categorized as extremely toxic because it was <30 ppm. Conclusion: The pigment in H. atra is melanin, the secondary metabolites consist of flavonoids, phenolics, alkaloids, saponins, and triterpenoids, and it has a highly toxic activity