Did you know that a marine organism as discreet as sea cucumber could inspire new cancer therapies? A study by the University of Mississippi and Georgetown University, published in June 2025 in Glycobiology, identified in the species Holothuria Floridana a natural compound with great therapeutic potential.
The finding focuses on fucosylate chondroitin sulfate, a molecule capable of blocking the Sulf-2 enzyme, which is used by tumor cells to spread. Unlike other inhibitors, this compound does not interfere with blood clotting, making it a safer alternative to current treatments.
In addition, this approach avoids dependence on medicines of swine origin, with their high costs and biological risks, and can be synthesized in laboratory, which reduces the ecological impact of extracting marine animals. Thus, ocean biochemistry becomes a valuable source of inspiration for designing more sustainable and effective pharmaceuticals.
Next steps include scale production and animal model trials, with the goal of advancing human-applied therapies and opening a new era in marine-resource-based oncology.
Are you surprised that the ocean can hide molecules capable of changing the course of the fight against cancer?
Scientific source:
Farrag, M. , In My Pocket , R. , Benicky, J. , Al Ahmed, H. , Misra, S. K. , Mishra, S. K. , Sharp, J. S. , Doerksen, R. J. , Goldman, R. , & Remember, V. H. (2025). Heparan-6-O-endosulfatase 2, a cancer-related proteoglycan enzyme, is effectively inhibited by a specific sea cucumber fucosylated glycosaminoglycan. Glycobiology, 35(6), cwaf025.
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