Research: Marine Sponges may Help Fight Cancer

by Rajshri on  February 19, 2010 at 6:56 PM Cancer News
  •   Print
  •   Share
  •   Comments
  •  Text 
 Research: Marine Sponges may Help Fight Cancer
Researchers have found that the natural compound sceptrin, which is found in marine sponges, reduces cancer cell motility and has very low toxicity.

Investigators at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham, formerly Burnham Institute for Medical Research) led by Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D., made the discovery.

Metastasis is one of the deadliest aspects of cancer, so restricting aberrant cell movement is an important step towards advancing treatments. The research was published online in ACS Chemical Biology, in collaboration with Phil S. Baran, Ph.D., of The Scripps Research Institute.

To reach the conclusion, boffins tested sceptrin in multiple tumor cell types, including cervical, breast and lung cancers. Sceptrin restricted motility in all cell lines. Further tests showed the compound works by limiting the cells' ability to contract, a critical function for cell motility. The researchers also found that sceptrin synthesized in the laboratory was just as effective at combating motility as the naturally-derived compound.

"Given the recently achieved synthesis of sceptrin in multi-gram quantities by the Baran laboratory, sceptrin could prove to be an attractive lead molecule for further preclinical testing and development for therapeutic purposes," said Dr. Vuori. "It may also prove to be a useful research tool in order to elucidate the mechanisms involved in cell motility."

The researchers cultured growing cancer cells with growth factor to encourage motility. These cells were treated with varying amounts of sceptrin, which was found to be more effective at increased concentrations. Subsequently, the team conducted apoptosis and cell proliferation studies to determine whether these mechanisms accounted for the decrease in motility of sceptrin-treated cells. Other assays determined that sceptrin limits motility by reducing cell contractility.

Source-ANI
RAS

 Email Email   RSS Feeds RSS Feeds   Print this page Print   Save this page Save   Link Link   Syndicate Syndicate   Comments Comments   Bookmark and Share
 
Comment & Contribute
Comments should be on the topic and should not be abusive. Comments are normally moderated and are reviewed after they are posted.
* Your comment can be maximum of 2500 characters

Notify me when reply is posted
I agree to the terms and conditions
  
If you have a question about health related issues, you can now post it in our Ask An Expert section on our community website Medwonders.com and get answers from our panel of experts.
X
  • Health News Index
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
News Archive
Date :
Category :
Keyword :
Quiz on Cancer
Looking for information on cancer? Go through medindia's Cancer quiz.
  • News Quick Links
News Central Health Watch
Latest Health News Health In Focus
News Category (500+) Breaking Health News
Popular News Celebrating Life
Health News and Press Release Medindia - Exclusive
News Photo Gallery India Special
News Video Gallery Lifestyle and Wellness
News From Other Resources
Cancer
Complete Medindia Resources
News Categories:  
Teen's Health Center

Cancer Related News

» Cardio-Pulmonary Function can be a Strong Indicator for Survival Chances of Breast Cancer Patients » Post Surgery Will the Tumour Return? New Breast Cancer Test to Predict Exactly
» Scientists Develop Compound That Triggers Cancer Cell Death » Iraqi National Hopes to Find Affordable Treatment for His Cancer in India
» New Technique can Help Doctors Detect Pancreatic Cancer » Colorectal Cancer Risk Factors Probed
» Breast MRI 'Better Than Clinical Approach for Predicting Chemotherapy's Efficiency' » No Need for PSA-Based Screening for Prostate Cancer: Task Force
Read More >>