Holothoroidea (sea cucumbers) are a commercially significant variety of marine invertebrates that are widely consumed in Asian countries. Sea cucumbers contain various bioactive substances such as lipids, phenols, peptides, triterpene glycosides, and polysaccharides, which have a wide range of beneficial biological effects. Our research aims to provide a thorough understanding of these bioactive compounds. We discuss natural stock fishery and aquaculture as management strategies for ensuring sustainable sea cucumber populations. We also describe the extraction and purification of bioactive compounds, providing insights into the preparation of functional ingredients derived from sea cucumbers. This review aims to give academics and industry a better understanding of sea cucumbers and their potential for the development of high-value nutraceutical products.

The goal of our study is to categorize themes related to the study of Holothoroidea bioactive components and mechanisms. We analyzed 200 research articles using descriptive analysis and the Nvivo-12 software. Our findings revealed 151 relationships between the bioactive components of Holothoroidea, which could be classified into 11 groups. The discovery of the mechanism of action of the bioactive components of Holothoroidea is significant as it can aid in the development of a conceptual framework for the study of these organisms. However, a limitation of this study is the lack of references to the articles reviewed. Future research should employ a comparative analysis approach to address this limitation.