ScientificWorldJournal 2026 Jan 01;20261:e2849694. doi: 10.1155/tswj/2849694.

Exploring the Antiparasitic Activity of the Sea Cucumber Isostichopus sp. aff. badionotus From the Northern Coast of Colombia Against Trypanosoma cruzi.

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Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, remains a neglected tropical infection with limited therapeutic options. Sea cucumbers are recognized as rich sources of bioactive sulfated metabolites with potential antiparasitic properties; however, information on the chemistry and trypanocidal activity of Caribbean Isostichopus species is still scarce. In this study, the trypanocidal activity of solvent fractions from Isostichopus sp. aff. badionotus was evaluated, together with the chemical characterization and molecular docking analysis of their major metabolites. The methanolic extract, obtained by maceration of lyophilized tissue, was partitioned with n-hexane, dichloromethane, and n-butanol, and the resulting fractions were analyzed by UHPLC-HRMS. The in vitro trypanocidal activity was assessed against T. cruzi epimastigotes, and molecular docking studies explored the interactions of five sulfated sterols (1-5) with four key enzymes involved in the parasite's redox metabolism. Chemical profiling revealed that sulfated sterols, mainly cholestane- and stigmastane-type derivatives, predominated in the dichloromethane fraction, which exhibited the strongest trypanocidal activity. Docking results indicated that stigmastane-type sterols, particularly Compound 5, showed the most favorable binding energies with all enzyme targets. This study provides the first evidence of trypanocidal activity in Isostichopus sp. aff. badionotus, highlighting sulfated sterols (1-5) as plausible lead compounds for exploring agents against T. cruzi.

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