Compound In Octopus Ink Targets Cancer Cells

A compound in octopus ink has been created artificially in the lab and used to kill cancer cells. The development could eventually lead to new cancer treatments, Kenna Hughes-Castleberry reported New Scientist.

Photo Insert: Ozopromide (OPC), found in the ink sac of common octopuses (Octopus vulgaris), targets cancer cells but leave healthy ones intact.

Martín Samuel Hernández-Zazueta at the University of Sonora in Mexico and his colleagues had previously identified a compound called ozopromide (OPC) that is found in the ink sac of common octopuses (Octopus vulgaris) as one of interest for its anti-cancer properties.

Ozopromide targets cancer cells but leave healthy ones intact. The finding could be used to develop new cancer treatments. The researchers used a series of standard chemical reactions that allowed the artificial production of ozopromide.

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