Analysis of Nutritional Components of Enzymatic Extract from Apostichopus japonicus and Its Effects on the Immunological Functions of Mice
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Abstract:
The nutritional components in the enzymatic extract of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus were measured and analyzed, and the effects of the extract on the immunological function of mice were evaluated according to the “Test Method for Strengthening Immune System Function” in “Health Food Inspection and Specifications for Evaluation Techniques (2003)”. The result showed that the moisture, crude protein, crude fat, ash, phospholipid, polysaccharide, and saponin contents in the enzymatic extract of sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus were 6.41%, 70.51%, 5.05%, 6.83%, 0.96%, 8.56%, and 0.78%, respectively. In the enzymatic extracts, the total amount of amino acids was 56.046 g/100 g (dry weight); the essential amino acids accounted for 24.2% of the total amino acids and the delicious amino acids accounted for 55.6% of the total amino acids. The low, medium, and high (0.1 g/kg?bw, 0.2 g/kg?bw, 0.6 g /kg?bw) dose groups of sea cucumber extract pronouncedly increased concanavalin A (ConA)-induced T lymphocyte proliferation, showing significant differences compared with control group (p < 0.05); all three groups increased the serum hemolysin level in mice (p < 0.05), and the high-dose group significantly improved the number of antibody-producing cells (p < 0.01); medium and high dose groups also significantly increased the natural killer (NK) cell activity (p < 0.01). Enzymatic extracts of sea cucumber are rich in nutrients and can improve the immunological function of mice.
