DEBROMOHYMENIALDISINE

Molecular Weight: 245.238 g/mol
Molecular Formula: C₁₁H₁₁N₅O₂

Source: The Palauan sponge Stylotella aurantium (PORIFERA)
Activity: anti-Alzheimer agent; treatment against osteoarthritis
Status:Phase I clinical trials

Debromohymenialdisine (DBH) is an alkaloid originally isolated from the shallow-water Palauan marine sponge Stylotella aurantium.

The molecule is intriguing not just for its drug-like properties, but also because it's simple molecular structure has yielded to easy total synthesis in the laboratory. Research suggest the compound acts as a highly selective inhibitor of a specific target cell DNA damage checkpoint enzyme during the G2 phase of the cell cycle.

The compound is a promising potential Anti-Alzheimer agent. It has been licensed to Genzyme Tissue Repair for commercial development as a possible treatment for osteoarthritis. The drug is reportedly in Phase I clinical trials.

NCBI PubChem compound summary page - [ LINK ]

NCBI PubMed biomedical literature citations and abstracts - [ LINK ]

References

Curman, D., et al. 2001. Inhibition of the G2 DNA Damage Checkpoint and of Protein Kinases Chk1 and Chk2 by the Marine Sponge Alkaloid Debromohymenialdisine. J. Biol. Chem., 276:17914-17919.

Rayl, AJS. 1999. Oceans: Medicine Chests of the Future? The Scientist 13:1.

Compound information from EMD Biosciences: Debromohymenialdisine