RMIT University researchers have synthesized a promising compound for cancer treatment.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: Researcher at RMIT University have synthesized a promising compound for cancer treatment. Dr Dan Balan, from the School of Applied Sciences at RMIT, said 15-aza-Salicylihalamide A analogue had demonstrated potent activity against several leukaemia cell lines. Salicylihalamide A is cytotoxic - or a toxin which is known to destroy cells and which also provides a defense for the sea sponge.
“Salicylihalamide A is an interesting natural marine product that has been isolated from a marine sponge of the genus Haliclona, collected from waters around Rottnest Island, 18 km off the coast of southern Western Australia. My goal was to synthesise the chemical in the laboratory in the form of a single aza-salicylihalamide A analogue molecule,” said Dr Balan.
The aza-salicylihalamide A analogue molecules were then exposed to NCI-60 leukaemia cell lines, and exhibited antiproliferating effects on the group of cells at highly diluted, or ‘sub-molar,’ concentrations.
“15-aza-Salicylihalamide A Analogue has proven to be very active against various types of cancer, but it was clearly most active against HL-60, which is acute promyelocytic leukaemia,” he added.
Other findings revealed it to be an inhibitor of vacuolar ATPase and proton pumps, frequently found in metastatic cancer cells - which are cancer cells that have migrated through the bloodstream from more advanced tumours.
“The molecule was synthesised in a short molecular sequence that could be easily produced in very large volumes for drug production,” said Dr Balan.
He explained there will be further research to investigate its effectiveness on different cancers, potentially leading to extensive drug development.
© RMIT University News