MANOALIDE

Molecular Weight: 418.566 g/mol
Molecular Formula: C₂₅H₃₈O₅

Source: Indo-Pacific sponge Luffariella variabilis (PORIFERA)
Activity: anti-inflamatory, analgesia
Status:Withdrawn from Phase II clinical trials.

Manoalide was isolated from the sponge Luffariella variabilis collected in the Indo-Pacific. It is a member of a chemical family known as the sesquiterpenes.

Although this natural product was originally reported as an antibiotic, follow-up work revealed manoalide possesses promising analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.

The compound works by inhibiting Phospholipase A2 (PLA2), which plays an important role in the inflammation process. Inhibitors of PLA2 like manoalide hold potential as treatments against conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Allergan Pharmaceuticals licensed manoalide and took it into Phase II human clinical trials as an experimental treatment for psoriasis. The company discontinued clinical trials, however, when it appeared that topical treatment did not allow sufficient quantities of the active drug to pass through the patient's skin.

Allergan continues to pursue a synthetic medicinal chemistry program around manoalide. The compound is currently available as a commercial probe for PLA2 inhibition, but not as a therapeutic drug.

NCBI PubChem compound summary page - [ LINK ]

NCBI PubMed biomedical literature citations and abstracts - [ LINK ]

References

Kijjoa A and P Sawangwong. 2004. Drugs and cosmetics from the sea (review paper). Mar. Drugs 2004:73-82.

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.