Screening of Tyrosinase Inhibitor, Antioxidant and Cytotoxicity of Dried Sea Cucumber from Tomini Bay, Indonesia

Background: Indonesia, as a tropical country, is one of the important producers of sea cucumbers (beche-de-mer). Sea cucumber is a marine invertebrate that contains attractive bioactive secondary metabolites and these metabolites can be used for health as well as cosmetics. Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the activity of tyrosinase inhibitors, antioxidants, and cytotoxicity of sea cucumber methanolic extract. Methods: Dried sea cucumber samples were taken from Boalemo waters, Tomini Bay, Indonesia. Tyrosinase inhibitor assay was carried out spectrophotometrically using tyrosinase enzymes and L-DOPA as a substrate and antioxidant tests were carried out by DPPH method. Cytotoxicity test against human breast cancer cell line (T47D) was conducted using the MTT assay. Results: The study showed that Bohadschia vitiensis had the best tyrosinase inhibitor activity with IC₅₀ value of 0.28 mg/ml. The DPPH free radical scavenging testing showed that all sea cucumbers had weak antioxidant activity. On the other hand, cytotoxicity assay revealed that several sea cucumbers had good cytotoxicity against T47D cells, where Holothuria atra and Bohadschia marmorata showed strong cytotoxicities with IC₅₀ values of 23.0 and 28.1 ug/mL, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the study, it can be concluded that the dried sea cucumber from the Tomini bay region, Indonesia, has the potential to be developed as a source of tyrosinase inhibitors and cytotoxic agents.