CONTIGNASTEROL (IZP-94005, IPL576,092)

Molecular Weight: 508.687 g/mol
Molecular Formula: C₂₉H₄₈O₇

Source: The sponge Petrosia contignata (PORIFERA)
Activity: anti-asthma agent
Status:In clinical trials (various phases)

Although isolation of the natural product contignasterol (IZP-94005) from the sponge Petrosia contignata was first reported in the early 1990s, it took another ten years for the structural configuration of the compound to be elucidated.

This molecule has proven to be a good starting point for semisynthetic chemists, and some of the novel compounds derived from contignasterol were shown to demonstrate activity as histamine blockers in in vitro rodent cell cultures. The natural compound itself was deemed a good anti-asthma drug candidate based on performance in in vivo animal models.

One contignasterol derivative, named IPL576,092, shows promise as an oral asthma medication. It was been introduced into clinical trials by the drug company Aventis Pharma and completed Phase II studies in 2002. More recently, IPL576,092 has entered clinical trials as a treatment for diseases causing inflammation of the eyes and skin. Interest persists in other contignasterol analogs, and some of these may now be in clinical trials as well.

NCBI PubChem compound summary page - [ LINK ]

NCBI PubMed biomedical literature citations and abstracts - [ LINK ]

References

Bramley AM, Langlands JM, Jones AK, Burgoyne DL, Li Y, Andersen RJ, and H Salari. 1995. Effects of IZP-94005 (contignasterol) on antigen-induced bronchial responsiveness in ovalbumin-sensitized guinea pigs. Brit. J. Pharm. 115:1433-1438.

Newman DJ, and GM Cragg. 2004. Advanced Preclinical and Clinical trials of natural Products and Related Compounds from marine Sources. Current Medicinal Chemistry 11:1693-1713.