Aplysiatoxin Explained

Aplysiatoxin is a cyanotoxin produced by certain cyanobacteria species. It is used as a defensive secretion to protect these cyanobacteria from predation by fish, being a potent irritant and carcinogen, by acting as a powerful activator of protein kinase C.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} While this action has a tumour-promoting effect, protein kinase C activation can be medically beneficial for some other applications, and synthetic analogues of aplysiatoxin have been researched for anti-cancer effects.^{[5] [6] [7]}

See also

• Debromoaplysiatoxin

Notes and References

1. Kato Y, Scheuer PJ. Aplysiatoxin and debromoaplysiatoxin, constituents of the marine mollusk Stylocheilus longicauda (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824). Journal of the American Chemical Society. 1974 Apr 3;96(7):2245-6.
2. Weinstein IB, Arcoleo J, Backer J, Jeffrey A, Hsiao WL, Gattoni-Celli S, Kirschmeier P, Okin E. Molecular mechanisms of tumor promotion and multistage carcinogenesis. Princess Takamatsu Symposia. 1983;14:59-74.
3. Arcoleo JP, Weinstein IB. Activation of protein kinase C by tumor promoting phorbol esters, teleocidin and aplysiatoxin in the absence of added calcium. Carcinogenesis. 1985 Feb;6(2):213-7.
4. Nagai H, Yasumoto T, Hokama Y. Aplysiatoxin and debromoaplysiatoxin as the causative agents of a red alga Gracilaria coronopifolia poisoning in Hawaii. Toxicon. 1996 Jul;34(7):753-61.
5. Watanabe M, Kawase Y, Tanabe J, Min KR, Mue S, Ohuchi K. Suppression of interleukin-1 alpha production by protein kinase C activators in human vascular endothelial cells. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 1995 Feb;272(2):808-14.
6. Nakagawa Y, Yanagita RC, Hamada N, Murakami A, Takahashi H, Saito N, Nagai H, Irie K. A simple analogue of tumor-promoting aplysiatoxin is an antineoplastic agent rather than a tumor promoter: development of a synthetically accessible protein kinase C activator with bryostatin-like activity. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 2009 Jun 10;131(22):7573-9.
7. Yanagita RC, Kamachi H, Tanaka K, Murakami A, Nakagawa Y, Tokuda H, Nagai H, Irie K. Role of the phenolic hydroxyl group in the biological activities of simplified analogue of aplysiatoxin with antiproliferative activity. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. 2010 Oct 15;20(20):6064-6.