Starfish extracts have been reported to exhibit a broad spectrum of pharmac
o logical properties, which are related to the presence of typical steroida
l oligoglycosides. In the animal kingdom, these metabolites have only been
found in Echinodermata and particularly in the class Asteroidea (sea stars)
.
This communication offers a general view of steroid oligoglycoside distribu
tion among starfishes and focuses on a number of recent examples, much of t
hese from the authors' laboratory, to discuss structural characteristics, b
iological activities and methods of investigation.