Seven-Arms Starfish “Luidia maculata” Characteristics of Coelomocytes and Promising GSK3-β Protein for Wound Healing: Cellular and Chemical Analyses

Abstract

The coelomic fluid (haemocoel) and coelomocytes of echinoderms were scarcely studied in Egypt. Remarkably, the most popular species is the five-arms starfish. While, in this work, the microscopical and chemical characteristics of the 7-arms giant starfish “Luidia maculata” were addressed. The starfish were gathered at 7 meters’ depth in the seawater of Ras Sedr, Gulf of Suez, Red Sea, Egypt. As far as we know, no other microscopical data have been published on this species in Egypt. The extracted coelomic fluid of this giant starfish “Luidia maculata” was microscopically and chemically analyzed using TEM and GC/MS, respectively. The exhibited data showed the presence of glycogen synthase kinase3-β protein by protein docking, which is considered a promising constituent for wound healing. Finally, this work spotted light on novel documented data on the microscopical and chemical characteristics of barely studied species of starfish “Luidia maculata”, in which the studied coelomocytes showed an amoeboid state resembling the human white blood cells. The examined flagella displayed a typical microtubule arrangement “9+2 array”. The coelomic fluid extracted from “Luidia maculata” exhibits glycogen synthase kinase3-β (GSK3-β) protein, which could be considered a promising biovital constituent for many medicinal applications including wound healing in diabetics.