Anti-cancer Agent: Cribrostatin 6

Cribrostatin 6 was isolated in 2003 from the sea sponge Cribrochalina. Many bacteria are now resistant to present antibiotics, thus it is necessary to develop new forms to combat these infections. It is effective against fighting Gram-positive bacteria, the most effective one being Streptococcus pneumoniae. Cibrostatin 6 has also seen to kill cancer cells triggering death via apoptosis, it has been proven be effective against quiescent cells. Quiescent cells are not affected by chemotherapy, thus may be the reason for tumor resistance. Cribrostatin was proven to be able to kill these cells even as they are not actively dividing. This product may be used in future chemotherapy sessions. Studies on mice have been done, however, clinical trials have not been conducted.

References:

Anjum, K., Abbas, S., Shah, S., Akhter, N., Batool, S., & Hassan, S. (2016). Marine Sponges as a Drug Treasure. Biomolecules & Therapeutics, 24(4), 347-62.

Hoyt, M., Palchaudhuri, T., & Hergenrother, R. (2011). Cribrostatin 6 induces death in cancer cells through a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated mechanism. Investigational New Drugs, 29(4), 562-573.

Pettit RK, Fakoury BR, Knight JC, Weber CA, Pettit GR, Cage GD, Pon S. Antibacterial activity of the marine sponge constituent cribrostatin 6. J Med Microbiol. 2004;53:61–65. doi: 10.1099/jmm.0.05250-0.