Antibacterial, antifungal, and cytotoxic activity of the fraction contains squalene in the acetone extract of a sea cucumber, Stichopus hermanni

It is believed that the marine animals contain many compounds that could be beneficial for the treatment of many diseases. In this study, the acetone extract of Stichopus hermanni was fractionated by a liquid chromatography and then fractions were assayed for terpenoids. The fraction C18 that received a positive response for terpenoids was purified further and characterized by the liquid chromatography, mass spectral, and Thin-layer chromatography analysis. A terpenoid compound, squalene, was identified as the constituent of the bioactive extract fraction. Antimicrobial activity of C18-3 was tested against Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Proteus vulgaris, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, and Nocardia brasiliensis pathogens. The lowest MIC and MBC values were observed in the Bacillus cereus (50 µg/mL) and Staphylococcus aureus (500 µg/mL), MIC and MFC the fungal pathogen Candida albicans (400 and 2000 μg/mL) and was cytotoxic against KB/ C152 and HUT-78/C185 cells (IC50 6.1 μg/mL and 6.29 μg/mL). This research suggests S. hermanni can be used as an alternative source for the separation and purification of squalene compound as a medicinal supplement.