The In-Vitro Effects of Sea Cucumber (Stichopus sp1) Extract on Human Osteoblast Cell Line

Despite its claimed therapeutic effects, the action of sea cucumber (known as gamat in the Malay language) on human osteoblast cells is still unknown. We performed in vitro studies utilising extract of Stichopus sp1 (gamat) to elucidate its effects on cell viability and functional activity. We found an inverse relationship between gamat concentration and its effect on osteoblast cell viability (p<0.001). Only gamat concentration at 1mg/ml significantly promoted cell viability at day 3 of incubation. There was a trend towards increased osteoblast cell function in the presence of gamat at 5mg/ml and 10mg/ml but this observation was not consistent at different incubation periods.