Description
Sarcophine is a marine cembranoid diterpene found in the Red Sea soft coral Sarcophyton glaucum. Sarcophine and its synthetic derivative, sarcophine-diol, exhibit chemopreventive activity. In vivo, sarcophine inhibits skin carcinogenesis induced by NOR-1 and TPA. Sarcophine also decreases membrane permeability towards Ca2+, increases degradation of PLA and PLC, and decreases levels of COX-2, inhibiting the tumor formation in melanoma models. In breast cancer and prostate cancer cell lines, sarcophine inhibits cell migration. Sarcophine may also inhibit phosphofructokinase.