A compound similar to the substance produced by sponges has potential for use in the treatment of cancer. The method of synthesizing this compound was developed by a young scientist from RMIT University in Melbourne (Australia).
Dr. Dan Balan of the RMIT School of Applied Sciences believes that his 15-aza-salicylihalamide A analogue is potent against several important leukemia cell lines.
Salicylihalamide A is an interesting compound of natural origin, isolated from the sea sponges of the genus Haliclona, fished from the waters surrounding Rottnest Island off the coast of Western Australia, says Dr. Balan. – It is a highly cytotoxic substance, which means that it has the ability to destroy cells. In nature, sponges use it for defense.
My goal was to synthesize an artificial equivalent of this compound in the laboratory, in the form of a single molecule – explains the scientist.
She added that salicylihalamide A has recently become a subject of research by the American National Cancer Institute (NCI). In experiments on several dozen human leukemia cell lines, it was shown that the compound has a new, previously unknown mechanism of action, consisting mainly in preventing the division of hostile cells, which may become the starting point for the synthesis of a new class of anti-cancer compounds.
As part of his doctoral dissertation, Balan focused on creating an artificial analogue of a promising compound. The analog of 15-aza-salicylihalamide A that I created turned out to be extremely active against various types of cancer, in particular against acute promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 – says the doctor.
In subsequent experiments, the scientist showed that the 15-aza-salicylihalamide A analogue is an inhibitor of ATPase and the proton pump, which may make it an effective drug against metastatic cancer cells.
It is worth emphasizing that the molecule I obtained is very easy to produce; cheaply and in large quantities – emphasizes Dr. Balan.
Now the scientist intends to conduct further studies that will determine the effectiveness of the 15-aza-salicylihalamide A analog in fighting various types of cancer, not just leukemias.