Marine-inspired drugs and biomaterials in the perspective of pancreatic cancer therapies

Andreia S. Fernandes, Catarina Oliveira, Rui L. Reis, Albino Martins, Tiago H. Silva*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Despite its low prevalence, pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the deadliest, typically characterised as silent in early stages and with a dramatically poor prognosis when in its advanced stages, commonly associated with a high degree of metastasis. Many efforts have been made in pursuing innovative therapeutical approaches, from the search for new cytotoxic drugs and other bioactive compounds, to the development of more targeted approaches, including improved drug delivery devices. Marine biotechnology has been contributing to this quest by providing new chemical leads and materials originating from different organisms. In this review, marine biodiscovery for PC is addressed, particularly regarding marine invertebrates (namely sponges, molluscs, and bryozoans), seaweeds, fungi, and bacteria. In addition, the development of biomaterials based on marine-originating compounds, particularly chitosan, fucoidan, and alginate, for the production of advanced cancer therapies, is also discussed. The key role that drug delivery can play in new cancer treatments is highlighted, as therapeutical outcomes need to be improved to give further hope to patients.

Original languageEnglish
Article number689
JournalMarine Drugs
Volume20
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Anti-tumour
  • Biodiscovery
  • Drug delivery
  • Marine biomaterials
  • Marine natural products
  • Pancreatic cancer

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