Caulerpin
Caulerpin is an orally active natural product with anti-tumor, anti-viral, anti-oxidant, anti-fungal, anti-bacteria and analgesic activities. Caulerpin acts as an inhibitor of mitochondrial ETC complex I and acetylcholinesterase. Caulerpin blocks hypoxia-induced activation of HIF-1α protein, inhibits VEGF secretion and tumor angiogenesis under hypoxic conditions, reduces the expression of NLRP3 and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and suppresses the load of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Caulerpin can be used in studies related to breast cancer, prostate cancer, tuberculosis and viral infections.
For research use only. We do not sell to patients.
- CAS No.: 26612-48-6
- Formula: C24H18N2O4
- Molecular Weight:398.42
-
Storage:
Please store the product under the recommended conditions in the Certificate of Analysis.
All VEGFR Isoforms
More
Biological Activity
Description
IC50 & Target
[1]|
NLRP3 |
HIF-1α |
Cellular Effect
|
Cell Line
|
Type | Value | Description | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HepG2 | IC50 |
24.6 μg/mL
Compound: 55
|
Antiproliferative activity against human HepG2 cells assessed as inhibition of cell growth incubated for 24 hrs by colorimetric method
Antiproliferative activity against human HepG2 cells assessed as inhibition of cell growth incubated for 24 hrs by colorimetric method
|
[PMID: 36170798] |
In Vitro
Caulerpin (compound 1) (1-30 μM; 16 h) inhibits hypoxia- and chemical hypoxia-induced HIF-1 activation in T47D human breast tumor cells[1].
Caulerpin (30 μM; 16 h) suppresses hypoxia-induced VEGF and GLUT-1 mRNA expression in T47D human breast tumor cells over 16 h[1].
Caulerpin (10 μM) suppresses hypoxia-induced secreted VEGF protein production in T47D human breast tumor cells[1].
Caulerpin (10-30 μM) suppresses the hypoxia-induced angiogenic activity of T47D human breast tumor cell-conditioned media in HUVEC tube formation assays[1].
Caulerpin (10 μM; 30 min pre-incubation, followed by 4 h exposure) blocks hypoxia-induced HIF-1α protein accumulation in T47D human breast tumor cell nuclear extracts[1].
Caulerpin (10-30 μM; 22 h) suppresses migration of MDA-MB-231 human breast tumor cells over 22 h, without significant cytotoxicity under the same conditions[1].
Caulerpin (1-30 μM; 48 h) induces cell line-dependent growth inhibition in human tumor cell lines (T47D, MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, DU145, PC-3) after 48 h of normoxic incubation, with maximum 52% inhibition in PC-3 cells, and less pronounced effects on primary HMEC cells[1].
Caulerpin (10-30 μM; 2 h pre-incubation for permeabilized cells) inhibits mitochondrial respiration at electron transport chain complex I in T47D human breast tumor cells,[1].
Caulerpin (compound CP) (3.25-30 μM; 24-48 h) reduces RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cell viability[2].
Caulerpin (15 μM; 24 h post-infection) reduces intracellular Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155 loads in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages by 0.230 log10 CFU after 24 h of post-infection treatment[2].
Caulerpin (15 μM; 8 h pre-incubation) reduces intracellular Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2155 loads in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages by 0.360 log10 CFU when used as an 8 h pre-incubation treatment, and (15 μM; 12 h post-infection re-treatment) by an additional 0.287 log10 CFU when used as a re-treatment at 12 h post-infection[2].
Caulerpin (15 μM; 24 h post-infection) modulates the immune response in Mycobacterium smegmatis-infected RAW 264.7 murine macrophages by reducing TNF-α, IL-1β, and NLRP3 inflammasome levels after 24 h of treatment, without affecting IL-10 production[2].
Caulerpin (15 μM; 24 h post-infection) reduces intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra loads in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages by 0.250 log10 CFU after 24 h of post-infection treatment[2].
Caulerpin (15 μM; 12 h post-infection re-treatment) reduces intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra loads in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages when used as a re-treatment at 12 h post-infection, but (15 μM; pre-incubation) not when used as a pre-incubation treatment prior to infection[2].
Caulerpin (50-1000 μM; 72 h) exhibits low cytotoxicity in Vero cells, with a CC50 of 1167 μM[3].
Caulerpin (20 h) inhibits HSV-1 replication in Vero cells with an EC50 of 1.29 μM and a selectivity index of 904[3].
Caulerpin (10-50 μM) inhibits the alpha (0-3 h p.i.) and beta (3-6 h p.i.) phases of the HSV-1 replicative cycle in Vero cells, with no cell-free virucidal activity[3].
Caulerpin (0.65-20 μM; 3 days post-adsorption) potently inhibits CHIKV replication in Vero cells, with an EC50 of 0.8 μM[4].
Caulerpin (1.25-5 μM) dose-dependently inactivates CHIKV particles[4].
Caulerpin (5 μM; 72 hours total incubation) completely inhibits CHIKV replication in Vero cells when added up to 3 hours post-infection, with activity declining at later time points including 4, 6, 9, 12, and 16 hours post-infection[4].
Caulerpin (100-1000 μg/mL; 3 days prior to MTT addition) exhibits low cytotoxicity toward Vero cells at concentrations up to 1000 μg/mL over a 3-day incubation[4].
MedChemExpress (MCE) has not independently confirmed the accuracy of these methods. They are for reference only. Further protocols information, click here.
-
Cell Line:T47D human breast tumor cells
-
Concentration:30 μM
-
Incubation Time:16 h
-
Result:Suppressed hypoxia-induced VEGF and GLUT-1 mRNA expression.
-
Cell Line:MDA-MB-231 human breast tumor cells
-
Concentration:10, 30 μM
-
Incubation Time:22 h (under normoxia or hypoxia)
-
Result:Suppressed MDA-MB-231 cell migration in a concentration-dependent manner over 22 h.
-
Cell Line:T47D, MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, DU145, PC-3 human tumor cell lines; primary human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC)
-
Concentration:1, 3, 10, 30 μM
-
Incubation Time:48 h (under normoxia)
-
Result:Exhibited cell line-dependent growth inhibitory effects after 48 h of incubation.
Achieved the highest inhibition of 52% in PC-3 prostate tumor cells at 30 μM.
Caused less than 25% inhibition in HMEC cells at concentrations up to 30 μM.
DU145 prostate tumor cells were the least sensitive.
Extended incubation (48 h vs 22 h) increased growth inhibition in MDA-MB-231 cells.
-
Cell Line:T47D human breast tumor cell
-
Concentration:10 μM
-
Incubation Time:30 min pre-incubation, followed by 4 h exposure
-
Result:Blocked hypoxia-induced HIF-1α protein accumulation in T47D human breast tumor cell nuclear extracts.
-
Cell Line:RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells
-
Concentration:3.75, 7.5, 15, 30 μM (24 h incubation); 3.75, 7.5, 15 μM (48 h incubation)
-
Incubation Time:24 h; 48 h
-
Result:Reduced RAW 264.7 cell viability only at the 30 μM concentration after 24 h incubation.
Reduced cell viability at the 15 and 30 μM concentrations after 48 h incubation.
-
Cell Line:Vero (African green monkey kidney) cells
-
Concentration:50 μM, 250 μM, 500 μM, 1000 μM
-
Incubation Time:72 h caulerpin
-
Result:Showed low cytotoxicity in Vero cells, with a CC50 of 1167 μM.
-
Cell Line:Vero cells
-
Concentration:100, 200, 400, 800, 1000 μg/mL
-
Incubation Time:3 days prior to MTT addition
-
Result:Exhibited low cytotoxicity relative to antiviral activity; no specific numerical values provided.
In Vivo
Caulerpin (100 µmol/kg; p.o.) exhibits centrally mediated antinociceptive activity in hot plate-induced thermal nociception, significantly increasing reaction latency at 90, 120, and 150 minutes post-treatment without motor impairment[5].
Caulerpin (100 µmol/kg; p.o.) exhibits both centrally and peripherally mediated antinociceptive activity in formalin-induced pain, inhibiting the neurogenic phase by 28.5% and the inflammatory phase by 55.7%[5].
Caulerpin (100 µmol/kg; p.o.) exhibits anti-inflammatory activity in capsaicin (HY-10448)-induced ear edema, reducing edema by 55.8%[5].
Caulerpin (100 µmol/kg; p.o.) exhibits anti-inflammatory activity in carrageenan-induced peritonitis, reducing total leukocyte recruitment by 48.3% and suppressing neutrophil migration to the inflammatory site[5].
MedChemExpress (MCE) has not independently confirmed the accuracy of these methods. They are for reference only.
-
Animal Model:Swiss albino mice (adult male and female, 20-35 g)[5]
-
Dosage:0.01 µmol/kg; 0.1 µmol/kg; 1 µmol/kg; 10 µmol/kg; 100 µmol/kg
-
Administration:p.o.
-
Result:Inhibited acetic acid-induced nociception with an IC50 of 0.0945 μmol.
Produced approximate percent inhibitions of 80%, 60%, 60%, 30%, and 0% at doses of 100, 10, 1, 0.1, and 0.01 µmol/kg, respectively.
-
Animal Model:Swiss albino mice (adult male and female, 20-35 g)[5]
-
Dosage:100 µmol/kg
-
Administration:p.o.
-
Result:Significantly increased reaction latency at 90 minutes (4.6 sec), 120 minutes (3.8 sec), and 150 minutes (4.0 sec) relative to control group latencies (3.2 sec, 2.8 sec, 2.6 sec, respectively).\nInhibited the neurogenic phase of formalin-induced licking by 28.5%.
Inhibited the inflammatory phase of formalin-induced licking by 55.7%.
-
Animal Model:Swiss albino mice (adult male and female, 20-35 g)[5]
-
Dosage:100 µmol/kg
-
Administration:p.o.
-
Result:Inhibited capsaicin-induced ear edema by 55.8% relative to the control group.\nReduced total recruited leukocytes in peritoneal exudate by 48.3% relative to the carrageenan-only control group.
Decreased polymorphonuclear neutrophil counts to 6.0% and increased lymphocyte counts to 63.0% and monocyte counts to 31.0% relative to the carrageenan-only group (34.5% polymorphonuclear, 44.0% lymphocytes, 20.5% monocytes).
Chemical Information
-
CAS No. 26612-48-6
-
Molecular Weight 398.42
-
Formula C24H18N2O4
-
SMILES
O=C(OC)C1=CC=2C=3C=CC=CC3NC2C(=CC=4C=5C=CC=CC5NC14)C(=O)OC
-
Structure Classification
-
Initial Source
Caulerpa racemosa (Forssk?l) J.Agardh
-
Shipping
Room temperature in continental US; may vary elsewhere.
-
Storage
Please store the product under the recommended conditions in the Certificate of Analysis.
Protocols
-
RNA extraction experimental
By lysing cells, releasing RNA, and removing impurities such as proteins and DNA, high-purity RNA products are finally obtained. The commonly used traditional method is the guanidine isothiocyanate/phenol/chloroform method (Trizol), which is suitable for a variety of animal materials including animal tissues, microorganisms, cultured cells, etc., and most plant materials.
-
Human pluripotent stem cell endothelial-cell differentiation
Human pluripotent stem cell endothelial differentiation is based on stepwise developmental patterning: early activation of WNT/GSK3β inhibition promotes mesodermal or vascular progenitor entry, followed by endothelial specification using VEGF-related signaling, BMP4, FGF2, Notch modulation, or cAMP depending on the published protocol. Endothelial differentiation is read out by acquisition of CD31, CD34, VE-cadherin/CD144, KDR/VEGFR2, vWF, Tie2, NOS3, acetylated LDL uptake, tube/network formation, barrier function, and in vivo vessel-forming capacity where tested.
-
Vascular/Branching Fractal Analysis
Vascular/branching fractal analysis quantifies the geometric complexity of vessel trees or vascular networks from segmented 2D images, commonly by converting vessels into binary and/or skeletonized maps and estimating fractal dimension using box-counting or related approaches. Fractal dimension is interpreted as an image-derived readout of vascular branching complexity, space filling, or density, and has been applied to retinal photographs, fluorescein angiography, OCT angiography, capillary perfusion maps, and in vitro Matrigel angiogenesis networks. The assay readout is generated from vessel-positive pixels after image preprocessing, vessel segmentation, binarization, and optional skeletonization; reported outputs include fractal dimension, vessel density, branchpoint density, endpoint density, vessel length density, tortuosity, and generation-based branching metrics when VESGEN-style analysis is used. The biological interpretation is limited to quantitative vascular patterning and s
-
LPS-Induced Endotoxemia/Systemic Inflammation
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxemia is a widely used in vivo model of acute systemic inflammation in which LPS, a Gram-negative bacterial endotoxin, activates innate immune signaling primarily through TLR4, leading to rapid and transient induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in circulation and tissues. This cytokine surge is commonly used as a measurable readout of systemic inflammatory activation and immune dysregulation, and is typically assessed within hours after intraperitoneal LPS administration in mouse models of endotoxemia. The model captures key features of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, including cytokine release, immune cell activation, and downstream tissue responses, and has been used to evaluate anti-inflammatory interventions such as cytokine modulation, lipid mediators, and immune cell-targeting therapies.
-
Endothelial Tube Formation Assay
Endothelial tube formation assay evaluates the ability of endothelial cells to attach, migrate, align, and organize into capillary-like networks when cultured on gelled basement membrane extract or Matrigel; the readout is the morphology and quantity of tube-like networks, which reflects an in vitro endothelial morphogenesis step related to angiogenesis. Basement membrane extract/Matrigel provides laminin-rich extracellular matrix cues that support endothelial differentiation into capillary-like structures, but it can contain biologically active growth factors, so growth-factor-reduced matrix is preferred when testing defined angiogenic stimulators or inhibitors.
-
Research Protocol for Inflammation-related Diseases
The NLRP3 inflammasome is a cytosolic innate immune signaling platform that integrates priming signals and danger-signal activation to promote caspase-1 activation, maturation of IL-1β and IL-18, and gasdermin D-mediated pyroptotic cell death. The core experimental logic is to determine whether inflammatory disease phenotypes are driven by increased NLRP3 expression, ASC-containing inflammasome assembly, caspase-1 cleavage, GSDMD cleavage, and extracellular release of IL-1β/IL-18 rather than by nonspecific cell injury alone. The pathway is strongly linked to inflammation-related disease phenotypes because monosodium urate crystals activate NALP3/NLRP3 inflammasome signaling in gout-like crystal inflammation, cholesterol crystals activate NLRP3 inflammasomes in atherogenesis models, and DSS-induced intestinal inflammation has been reported to involve NLRP3 inflammasome activity. However, experimental colitis studies also show context-dependent protective effects of NLRP3 inflammasome co
-
Breast Cancer Modeling
Breast cancer is a heterogeneous cancer, and it has been distinguished into four subtypes: luminal A, luminal B, HER2-positive and basal-like. Molecular mutations, epigenetic alterations, hormone exposure and immune microenvironment are related to the progression of breast cancer.
-
Endothelial Cell Migration/Angiogenic Sprouting Assay
Endothelial cell migration and angiogenic sprouting assays are in vitro (and partially ex vivo-adapted) functional models that quantify the ability of endothelial cells to undergo coordinated migration, extracellular matrix invasion, and multicellular organization into capillary-like sprouts in response to pro-angiogenic stimuli such as VEGF, bFGF, or conditioned microenvironments. These assays are used to model early angiogenic events including tip-cell formation, directional migration, and lumen-like sprout extension, which collectively reflect angiogenic activation and vascular morphogenesis processes observed in vivo.
Purity & Documentation
References
[1]. Liu Y, et al. The Caulerpa pigment caulerpin inhibits HIF-1 activation and mitochondrial respiration. Journal of natural products. 2009 Dec;72(12):2104-9. [Content Brief]
[2]. Sidrônio MGS, et al. Host-Mediated Antimicrobial Effects and NLRP3 Inflammasome Modulation by Caulerpin and Its Derivatives in Macrophage Models of Mycobacterial Infections. Microorganisms. 2025 Mar 01;13(3):561. [Content Brief]
[5]. de Souza ET, et al. The antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of caulerpin, a bisindole alkaloid isolated from seaweeds of the genus Caulerpa. Marine drugs. 2009 Nov 26;7(4):689-704. [Content Brief]
Calculators
Concentration (start) × Volume (start) = Concentration (final) × Volume (final)
Keywords
- Caulerpin
- 26612-48-6
- Fungal
- Bacterial
- HIF/HIF Prolyl-Hydroxylase
- VEGFR
- NOD-like Receptor (NLR)
- CHIKV
- herpes simplex virus type 1
- chikungunya virus
- acetylcholinesterase
- RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells
- mitochondrial ETC complex I
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra
- T47D human breast tumor cells
- NLRP3 inflammasome
- MDA-MB-231 human breast tumor cells
- HIF-1
- Inhibitor
- inhibitor
- inhibit