Sea Cucumber Peptides Restore Immune Balance in Chemotherapy-Suppressed Mice | Research

The takeaway

Sea cucumber protein hydrolysate restored Th1/Th2 immune balance in cyclophosphamide-immunosuppressed mice, upregulating Th1 genes and cytokines while suppressing Th2 markers.

Th1/Th2 rebalanced
Oral sea cucumber peptides reversed the chemotherapy-induced immune imbalance, boosting anti-infection immunity while reducing allergic-type responses

What the researchers found

SCPH oral treatment restored Th1/Th2 balance in CYP-immunosuppressed mice, upregulating IFNG, TBX21, IgG, IgM and downregulating IL4, GATA3, IL-10, IgA, sIgA, with improved splenic architecture.

Why it matters

Chemotherapy patients need safe ways to restore immune function. Marine-derived bioactive peptides that can be taken orally offer a natural immunonutritional approach.

How the study worked

Collagenase-derived sea cucumber protein hydrolysate preparation, CYP-induced immunosuppression in BALB/c mice, oral SCPH treatment, immune organ indices, leukocyte counts, gene expression, serum cytokines/immunoglobulins, and splenic histology/IHC.

What this study cannot tell us

Mouse model. Specific peptide sequences responsible for immunomodulation not identified. Dose-response not explored. Human clinical evidence needed.

How to read the evidence

Preclinical study with comprehensive immune profiling. Novel marine peptide application but needs active peptide identification and human validation.

When this study was published

Published in 2025.

The bigger picture

Marine-derived peptides represent an underexplored source of immunomodulatory compounds that could complement supportive care during and after chemotherapy.

Questions still open

Which specific peptides in the hydrolysate drive the immunomodulatory effects?
Would SCPH benefit cancer patients during or after chemotherapy?
How does SCPH compare to established immunostimulants?

Common questions

Can sea cucumber peptides help after chemotherapy?

In mice, sea cucumber protein peptides helped restore immune function suppressed by chemotherapy. This suggests they could serve as a nutritional supplement during cancer treatment, though human studies are still needed.

How do these peptides boost immunity?

They rebalance the immune system by boosting infection-fighting (Th1) responses while calming overactive allergic-type (Th2) responses that chemotherapy disrupts, helping restore normal immune surveillance.

Read the original research

Sea cucumber protein hydrolysate restores the Th1/Th2 paradigm in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed mice.

Frontiers in nutrition, 13, 1758733

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Farooqui, Nabeel Ahmed; Rehman, Ata Ur; Khan, Asif Iqbal; Ullah, Hidayat; Ali, Muhsin; Yousuf, Waleed; Alioui, Yamina; Atta, Aamna; Abusidu, Mohammad; Saleh, Bilal; Ghaleb, Eslam; Li, Yanxia; Xin, Yi; Siddiqui, Nimra Zafar; Wang, Liang. (2026). Sea cucumber protein hydrolysate restores the Th1/Th2 paradigm in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppressed mice.. Frontiers in nutrition, 13, 1758733. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2026.1758733