NCI programs

Goldberg KB (2004) NCI programs NCI to fund lab testing of reduced harm tobacco. Cancer Lett 30 3-5... 

Number of Vascular Plant Families and Genera Sampled for the NCI Program in Tropical Africa and Madagascar... 

Well-Collected Families with 50% or More of Their Genera Sampled or More Than 100 Samples Collected for the NCI Program... 

Bryostatin 1 (Figure 8.15) is a complex macrolide natural product originally discovered by Pettit and his collaborators under an early NCI program. It has excellent anticancer activity which is due, at least in part, to its ability to interact with protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes. Compound supply as usual proved to be a major problem, but enough cGMP-grade material could be isolated from wild collections to supply material for clinical trials. ... 

Ellipticine, 7, and a number of its derivatives, especially quaternized derivatives, show great promise as antitumor agents (832). These derivatives are of interest in the NCI program in the United States and even more so in France. 

A large number of ansamacrolides, exemplified by maytansine, 8, have potent antitumor activity. Maytansine has been subjected to clinical studies in the NCI program and has been disappointing as an anticancer agent. Furthermore, it has been shown to be quite toxic. Analogue development may produce a more useful and less toxic antitumor agent in the future (881). 

Phyllanthoside, 18, and phyllanthostatins 1 (19), 2 (20), and 3 (21) have interesting antitumor activity in vivo against several murine tumor systems, including the B16 melanoma, at doses of 6-8 mg/kg. Phyllanthoside has been selected for preclinical development in the United States NCI program (818). 

Jatrophone, 22, also has a broad antitumor spectrum and has been of interest in the NCI program (586). Tripdiolide, 23, and related compounds such as triptolide, 24, have also been of interest as antitumor agents in the NCI program (283). Four novel furanoditerpenes of the entclerodane type, plaunol B (25), C (26), D (27), and E (28) have been isolated from Croton sublyratus and show interesting activity against Shay-induced ulcers in rats at 3-10 mg/kg (552). 

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