Safety and Interaction Potential of Sea urchin Extract (Echinoidea) as a Natural Medicinal Ingredient Candidate

Sea urchins (Echinoidea) are one type of aquatic biota from the phylum Echinodermata, the distribution of sea urchins can be observed in almost all waters. Sea urchins have a habit of living (gathering) in groups or clusters, and this species is often caught in shallow reef areas at low tide. This research aims to explore the benefits of sea urchins as natural medicinal ingredients, focusing on their interactions and safety. The research method used was a qualitative descriptive method. Based on the review of the quantitative description method, researchers used several trusted article sources, namely PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Based on the results of the research, it was found that sea urchins contain bioactive compounds of steroids, saponins, flavonoids, polyphenols, and spinochromes. With this, sea urchin shows significant potential as a candidate natural medicinal material, especially in the fields of anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and immunomodulation. The relatively favorable safety profile, as demonstrated by acute and subchronic toxicity studies, supports further development of this extract as a natural medicinal ingredient.