A team of researchers from the University of Mississippi, Ole Miss, and Georgetown University has discovered a unique sugar compound extracted from sea cucumbers that can block an enzyme linked to the growth and spread of cancer.
Marine organisms produce unique molecular compounds that differ from those found in land animals, according to Marwa Farag, the study's lead researcher and a doctoral student at the University of Mississippi. She noted that the sugar compounds in sea cucumbers possess unique properties that make them worthy of further research and development.
Most mammalian cells are covered with delicate structures called glycans, which play an important role in cell-to-cell communication and immune function. However, cancer cells alter the activity of enzymes such as Sulf-2 to modify these glycans, helping them spread.
In the study, the researchers relied on multiple techniques, including mass spectrometry and computer modeling, to find that fucosylated chondroitin sulfate from sea cucumber (Holothuria floridana) effectively inhibits the Sulf-2 enzyme, without causing blood clotting problems like some other enzyme inhibitors.
Robert Doerksen, professor of medicinal chemistry, emphasized that avoiding the effects of blood clotting is an important factor in developing safe and effective drugs.
This compound, extracted from sea cucumbers, is considered a promising and safer alternative to drugs extracted from traditional animal sources, which may carry the risk of transmitting diseases.
However, large-scale production of the compound faces challenges due to the limited availability of sea cucumbers. Therefore, researchers are now focusing on developing a synthetic chemical method to manufacture it in sufficient quantities for further animal experiments.
Vitor Bomin, Associate Professor of Pharmacology, explained that this step is essential to enable the development of future treatments.
The results of the study were published in the journal Glycobiology.
