Recent Progress of Marine Polypeptides as Anticancer Agents.

BACKGROUND

Marine environment constitutes an almost infinite resource for novel anticancer drug discovery. The biodiversity of marine organisms provides a rich source for the discovery and development of novel anticancer peptides in the treatment of human cancer. Marine peptides represent a new opportunity to obtain lead compounds in biomedical field, particularly for cancer therapy.

OBJECTIVE

Providing an insight of the recent progress of patented marine peptides and presenting information about the structures and mechanistic mode of anticancer activities of these marine peptides.

METHODS

We reviewed recent progress on the patented anticancer peptides from marine organisms according to their targets on different signal pathways. This work focuses on relevant recent patents (2010-2018) that entail the anticancer activity with associated mechanism and related molecular diversity of marine peptides. The related cellular signaling pathways for novel peptides that induce apoptosis and affect tubulin-microtubule equilibrium, angiogenesis and kinase activity that are related to the anticancer and related pharmacological properties are also discussed.

RESULTS

The recent patents (2010-2018) of marine peptides with anticancer activity were reviewed, and the anticancer activity of marine peptides with associated mechanism and related molecular diversity of marine peptides were also discussed.

CONCLUSION

Marine peptides possess chemical diversity and display potent anticancer activity via targeting different signal pathways. Some of the marine peptides are promising to be developed as novel anticancer agents.