They may not look like much, but sea cucumbers—those soft-bodied, bottom-dwelling marine creatures—are turning heads in cancer research. Best known for cleaning the ocean floor, sea cucumbers might soon play a life-saving role on dry land. A new study led by the University of Mississippi (UM) and Georgetown University reveals that a unique sugar compound from these animals can block a cancer-linked enzyme, without triggering dangerous side effects common in current therapies.
The compound in question, fucosylated chondroitin sulfate, is extracted from Holothuria floridana, a sea cucumber species found in Florida’s coastal waters. Researchers found that it inhibits Sulf-2, an enzyme cancer cells exploit to reshape their surface sugars (called glycans), helping them grow and spread.
“Think of your cells as being covered in forests of sugars,” explained Dr. Vitor Pomin, a pharmacognosy professor at UM. “Sulf-2 acts like a gardener, trimming those sugars in ways that benefit cancer. Blocking this enzyme could stop cancer’s spread at the molecular level.”
What makes this discovery even more exciting is the compound’s safety profile. Many Sulf-2 inhibitors interfere with blood clotting, raising the risk of internal bleeding which is especially dangerous for cancer patients. But the sea cucumber sugar compound didn’t affect clotting at all.
“It’s rare to find something both potent and safe,” said pharmacology professor Dr. Joshua Sharp. “This compound checks both boxes.”
Because synthesizing complex sugar-based drugs is notoriously expensive and time-consuming, natural sources like sea cucumbers offer a cleaner, more sustainable alternative. However, overharvesting is not an option, so researchers are now exploring lab-based production methods to scale safely.
While this work is still in its early stages, it represents a promising step toward developing marine-based cancer treatments that are both effective and less toxic, proof that sometimes, the ocean’s strangest creatures hide the most powerful secrets.
