Identification and structural characterization of glucosylceramides in Holothuria (Halodeima) grisea: Insights from TLC and NMR techniques.

Sea cucumbers are widely used in oriental cuisine due to their medicinal properties. Antioxidant, antifungal, antiviral, anticancer and neuroprotective activities have already been identified in several species and in different tissues. Among the class of compounds with biological activity are cerebrosides, which have important functions for the proper functioning of cells, especially neuronal cells. The identification of this class of compounds can be carried out using simple techniques such as thin layer chromatography (TLC) or more sophisticated techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), providing different information depending on the technique used. Therefore, this work aimed to identify the presence of cerebrosides in different tissues of Holothuria (Halodeima) grisea. TLC analysis and separation on a silica column made it possible to accurately identify the positive fractions for cerebrosides. This selectivity is crucial to ensure that the compounds identified are genuine cerebrosides, eliminating interference from other non-pertinent bands. NMR spectroscopy analyses confirmed the presence of glucosylceramide in the tissues studied. The identification of a β-glucose linked to the ceramide, with specific structural characteristics such as hydroxyl on the 3' carbon of the sphingosine and a double bond between the 4' and 5' carbons, highlights the accuracy of the structural determination obtained with the techniques used.