Advances of microtubule-targeting small molecular anticancer agents from marine origin

Abstract

The unparalleled effectiveness of microtubule-targeting drugs has been validated by the successful use of vincristine, vinblastine, and paclitaxel for the treatment of a wide variety of human cancers. However, drug-resistance, both inherent and acquired, is common because of constant usage of anticancer agents. A worldwide search for compounds with similar mechanisms of action but improved characteristics has been urgent for wide clinical use. The largely unexplored marine world that presumably harbors the most biodiversity has provided inspiration for the development of new chemical classes of anticancer drugs. As such, they have also received considerable attentions from both academic industrial researchers who are interested in their bioactivity and chemistry. In this paper, several classes of typical microtubule-targeting marine natural products with diverse structure and unique bioactivity are summarized, focusing on their chemical and bioactive properties. Particularly, the preclinical and clinical trials of microtubule-targeting marine natural products are also discussed.