Hemotoxic and wound healing potential of coelomic fluid of sea-star Astropecten indicus

Abstract Background The coelomic fluid of echinoderms bathes all the internal organs and is a natural reservoir of various bio-active compounds. However, coelomic fluid from Indian sea-star Astropecten indicus is not well characterized for its biochemical and pharmacological profiles. Sea-star (or starfish) Astropecten indicus was collected from the coast of Goa, India during low tides. Sea-star coelomic fluid (SCF) extracted from the sea-stars was concentrated, filtered, and assayed for various hemotoxic activities such as fibrinogenolysis, fibrinolysis, hemolysis, and effects on platelet aggregation. Results Studies on effects of SCF on A-549 human lung cancer cell line showed its non-cytotoxic and wound healing abilities in vitro. SCF was found to possess fibrinogen and fibrin digesting ability at a dose of 4 μg/ml within 30 min of incubation with the substrate. Additionally, SCF could hemolyze goat RBC by 50% and human RBC by only 5%. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that SCF contains various proteins and peptides. Two protein components of SCF yielded strong fibrinolytic, fibrinogenolytic, caseinolytic, and gelatinase activities as revealed by zymography. SCF enhanced the aggregation of ADP and collagen-activated platelets in a dose-dependent manner and had a specific proteolytic activity of 2.5 μg/ml in 30 min at 37 °C as assayed using azocasein as substrate. Conclusion This study focuses on the anticoagulant, pro-platelet aggregation and cell proliferative potential of SCF in vitro and is the first report on hemotoxic and wound healing potential of coelomic fluid of Astropecten indicus.