ABSTRACT
Halichondrin B, a polyether macrolide isolated from marine sponges and tunicates, was shown to have potent cytotoxicity properties
in vitro
and anticancer properties
in vivo
(Hirata and Uemura, 1986; Litaudon et al.,
1994; Fodstad et al.,
1996). The sponge
Lissodendoryx
n. sp. 1 was the most promising
source of halichondrin B components, although it is found in four other sponges. The potential of halichondrin B as an anticancer drug (Pettit et al.,
1993a) is limited by its relative scarcity. Halichondrin B disrupts mitotic spindle formation and induces mitotic arrest by inhibiting tubulin assembly and microtubule assembly (Pettit et al.,
1993b). A synthetic C(1)-C(38) halichondrin subunit was reported to exhibit anticancer properties similar to that of halichondrin B (Stamos et al.,
1997; Towle et al.,
2001). Wang et al. (2000) synthesized simplified analogues of halichondrin B that still retained cell growth inhibitory potency
in vitro.