Abstract :
[en] Elucidation of structure/ biological activity relationships in saponins of the sea star Asterias rubens by MALDI tissue profiling and MALDI-imaging.
M. Demeyera,b, M. Wisztorskic, I. Fournierc, P. Flammangb, P. Gerbauxa
a Mass Spectrometry Research Group (MSRG),
Université de Mons, 23 Place du Parc, B-7000 Mons - Belgium
b Biology of Marine Organisms and Biomimetics (BOMB),
Université de Mons, 23 Place du Parc, B-7000 Mons - Belgium
c Laboratoire de Spectrométrie de Masse Biologique, Fondamentale & Appliquée
Université Lille 1, F-59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq - France
During the last decade, numerous papers related to the identification of natural compounds from marine resources appeared in the literature. Amongst all the reported molecules, saponins present a high interest and are found mainly in Echinoderms, more precisely in sea stars (asteroids) and sea cucumbers (holothuroids). These molecules reveal a large chemical diversity and different putative biological activities. They may indeed contribute to chemical defense and chemical communication between animals. Also, from a pharmacology point of view, such molecules show a high interest given their hemolytic, cytotoxic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and anti-tumor properties.
Amongst all the available analytical methodologies, mass spectrometry is definitely a first-choice technique for tackling the large diversity of saponins in echinoderm tissues. In this report, we would like to present the preliminary results of the identification of the saponin contents in the sea star Asterias rubens. Making use of MALDI-MS(MS) and MALDI imaging methods, we highlighted different saponin distributions between organs such as body wall, tube feet, gonads and pyloric caeca, and the specificity of some saponins for a specific organ. This variability can be probably related to the different roles played by saponins in the biological activities of sea stars.
