Potent cancer cell growth inhibitors from marine sponges

Abstract

Marine sponge is known to provide anticancer agent, as can be seen from the example of halichondrin B which provided the development of eribulin - the anticancer agent approved by FDA in 2011. In the course of our search for cancer cell growth inhibitors from sponges, we have encountered with several sponges, of which the extracts showed distiguished levels of activity. One of them is Petrosia sp. collected from Dokdo, the East sea of Korea. Chemical investigations of this sponge resulted in the isolation of four petrosiacetylene analogs including a novel compound. The extract of Ircinia ramosa, collected at the Chuuk island of Micronesia, also exhibited high cancer cell growth inhibitory activity. Through the investigations, it was found thath the cytotoxicity comes from irciniastatins, which have been reported to be poweful anticancer agent selective to solid tumors. Further investigations to discover various irciniastatin anlaogs are now in progress. growth inhibitors from sponges, we have encountered with several sponges, of which the extracts showed distiguished levels of activity. One of them is Petrosia sp. collected from Dokdo, the East sea of Korea. Chemical investigations of this sponge resulted in the isolation of four petrosiacetylene analogs including a novel compound. The extract of Ircinia ramosa, collected at the Chuuk island of Micronesia, also exhibited high cancer cell growth inhibitory activity. Through the investigations, it was found thath the cytotoxicity comes from irciniastatins, which have been reported to be poweful anticancer agent selective to solid tumors. Further investigations to discover various irciniastatin anlaogs are now in progress.