CURACIN A

Molecular Weight: 373.596 g/mol
Molecular Formula: C₂₃H₃₅NOS

Source: Lyngbya majuscula (CYANOPHYTA)
Activity: tubulin interactive compound
Status: Preclinical

First isolated from Lyngbya majuscula by Gerwick et al. and reported in 1994, this natural product appeared to be a very potent tubulin interactive compound. It proved to be highly insoluble, however, so much so that bioactivity could not be demonstrated with in vivo animal models.

As a way around the insolubility issues presented by the natural curacin A, Wipf and colleagues developed a series of more soluble semi-synthetic variants using techniques of combinatorial chemistry to modify the basic structure. These compounds are currently undergoing preclinical evaluation as potential future drugs.

NCBI PubChem compound summary page - [ LINK ]

NCBI PubMed biomedical literature citations and abstracts - [ LINK ]

References

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