Echinoderm collagen as a neuromodulatory antioxidant: biochemical characterization and molecular interaction with...

Marine collagen is increasingly recognized as a sustainable biomaterial for therapeutic applications; however, collagen derived from tropical Echinodermata remains underexplored, particularly in the context of neuropharmacology. This study investigated the biochemical characteristics, antioxidant activity, and neuromodulatory potential of collagen isolated from three tropical echinoderm species, Holothuria atra, Acanthaster planci, and Culcita novaeguineae, collected from the neritic zone of Pahawang Island, Indonesia. The isolated collagens exhibited very strong antioxidant activity, with IC₅₀ values of 4.43 (C. novaeguineae), 10.84 (H. atra), and 21.78 μg/mL (A. planci), surpassing several previously reported marine collagen sources. Structural characterization using Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and Carbon-13 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹³C NMR) revealed glutamic acid, proline, glycine, and valine as dominant amino acid residues, supporting the stability and functional integrity of the collagen matrix. Furthermore, in silico molecular docking analysis demonstrated a favorable interaction between glutamic acid and the N-Methyl-d-Aspartate (NMDA) receptor GluN1a/GluN2B (PDB ID: 4PE5), with a binding affinity of ΔG = -5.25 kcal/mol and an inhibition constant (Ki) of 142.02 μM, indicating a potential neuromodulatory mechanism. By integrating biochemical characterization with molecular interaction analysis, this study provides the first evidence that collagen from tropical echinoderms exhibits dual antioxidant and neuromodulatory potential, highlighting its promise as a sustainable marine-derived biomaterial for neurodegenerative disease-related drug discovery.