Cover Picture: An Economical Synthesis of Caulerpin and Evaluation of Its New Anticancer Activities (ChemistrySelect 44/2018)

Abstract

The cover picture shows algae containing caulerpin in the shallow sea under sunshine. Caulerpin is a bis‐indole alkaloid, isolated mostly from algae of genus Caulerpa, it displayed several biological activities meanwhile lack of toxicity for it was found in mouse study. Additionally, caulerpin was also found to be a chemical agent as a rust inhibitor in mild steel. However, the current synthesis methods for caulerpin are not practical for relatively larger scale regarding both low overall yields and critical conditions used, which obviously restricted further exploration of its new applications. This work reported an economical synthesis of caulerpin and subsequently explored its new anticancer activity in several cell lines. More information can be found in the Communication by Hangbin Li et al. (DOI: 10.1002/slct.201802876). Artists: Prof. Liuqun Gu, Hangbin Li, Wenbiao Zhang and Weicong Huang.