# Marine-Derived Ligands of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in Cancer Research

## TL;DR

This paper reviews marine compounds that target nicotinic receptors and may help suppress cancer growth.

## Contribution

The paper highlights novel marine-derived ligands, particularly α-conotoxins and low molecular substances, for their potential anti-cancer effects.

## Key findings

- α-conotoxins from Conus genus mollusks are selective ligands for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in cancer cells.
- Low molecular organic substances from dinoflagellates and sponges show cytotoxicity against cancer cells.
- Some marine compounds have analgesic effects and could lead to new cancer treatments.

## Abstract

Marine sources contain compounds that act on a wide variety of systems, including ligand-gated ion channels. This review will focus on the effectors of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), for which the diversity of ligands and modulators from marine sources is determined mainly by neurotoxic peptides (α-conotoxins) from mollusks of the Conus genus. These are very selective compounds that allow the study of the role of different nAChR subtypes in the cancer cells. They have analgesic or anti-inflammatory activities associated with cholinergic transmission and have shown analgesic effect in case of chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain. Another class of marine compounds targeting nAChRs for which cytotoxicity for cancer cells was shown is represented by low molecular organic substances found mostly in dinoflagellates and marine sponges. Some of the compounds discussed in this review show promise for developing drugs that suppress cancer growth.