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The Effect of Sponge Extract on Cell Division

Mitosis is a process of cellular division, which creates two identical "daughter" cells from a "mother" cell. Uncontrolled mitosis is symptomatic of cancer, which is the uncontrolled growth and spread of cells within the body. Several extracts of marine sponges have the ability to interfere with cellular division and may have therapeutic use as agents to combat cancer.

  1. Interference with the G2 Phase of Mitosis

    • A phase in the mitotic cell cycle, called G2, prevents division if damage is detected in the DNA of the cell, as found in cancer cells. Three compounds extracted from the sponge, Merriamum oxeato, were shown to inhibit the division of damaged cells at the G2 phase. A study published in the June 2003 issue of the "Journal of Natural Products" identified these compounds and illustrated their ability to prevent the growth of breast cancer cells. The researchers found that each compound had the ability to arrest the cell cycle individually. However, the study concluded that the three compounds used together were toxic to all cells and would not be appropriate as therapeutic agents in the treatment of cancer.

    Inhibition of Cellular Division

    • Dictyostatin-1 is a compound isolated from the genus of sponges known as Spongia. This protein has been shown to be lethal to human cancer cells. An article appearing in the July 2003 issue of "Biochemical Pharmacology" stated that dictyostatin-1 inhibited cellular division in the G2 phase by interfering with the production of proteins necessary to pull organelles to different poles of the dividing cell. The authors concluded that dictyostatin-1 was a potent inhibitor of human cancer cell lines.

    Antitumor Effects

    • A study in the December 2005 issue of the "Journal of Natural Products" investigated the effects of an alcohol extract of the sponge, Cribrochalina vasculum, indigenous to the Gulf of Mexico. The researchers isolated several compounds and found that all had selective antitumor effects against human lung and ovarian cancer cell lines. This study concluded that cell division was halted by the compounds in the G2 phase of mitosis.

    Inhibition of Molecular Pathways

    • The endocrine system controls the release of hormones, which can, in turn, regulate cellular division. A report in the December 2001 issue of "Toxicon" revealed that an extract from Spongia Barbara, a sponge found in the waters of the Florida Keys, produces a protein the interferes with a vital molecular pathway involved in cellular division, known as the MAPK/ERK cascade. The researchers showed that this cascade is interrupted by the sponge extract and could be a useful agent to inhibit cancerous cell growth.

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