Sea cucumbers, soft-bodied marine invertebrates with significant ecological roles, are recognised as valuable assets in aquaculture systems and are known to possess potent health benefits attributed to their biologically active molecules. However, research has predominantly centred on high-value, commercially targeted species, neglecting the potential of others as sources of beneficial metabolites. This targeted focus has increased demand and commercial value of select species, leading to detrimental effects on natural populations due to exploitation and poaching.
This study presents the first metabolomics analysis of Holothuria cinerascens from KwaZulu-Natal, Southern Africa, aimed at utilising 1 H-NMR and UPLC-QTOF-MS metabolomics techniques to elucidate the metabolic composition and seasonal diversity across and within various tissues. Our findings reveal distinct metabolic and seasonal variations among the body wall, gonad, and gut/mesentery tissues of H. cinerascens, with the highest metabolic potential observed in the body wall and gut/mesentery tissues, while the gonadal tissue displayed the lowest potential. These results suggest untapped pharmaceutical and nutritional potential in overlooked species, highlighting the need to expand sea cucumber research and pave the way for future investigations into the metabolic pathways and biological significance of these compounds. The results from this study underscore the potential benefits of Southern African sea cucumber extracts as possible food sources and pharmaceutical components, advocating for further analysis of influencing factors and integration into sustainable cultivation systems. Furthermore, our findings advocate for future research to explore the bioactive potential of Southern African sea cucumber species through compound isolation utilising a wider range of metabolic techniques and further assess the effects of external factors on metabolite and nutritional composition, which may have significant implications in cultivation and nutritional monitoring.