plitidepsin

Plitidepsin is a cyclic depsipeptide originally isolated from the marine tunicate Aplidium albicans. It is a member of the didemnin class of compounds and is marketed under the trade name Aplidin. Plitidepsin exhibits antitumor, antiviral, and immunosuppressive activities. Its primary mechanism of action involves inhibition of eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 alpha 2 (eEF1A2), leading to cell cycle arrest, growth inhibition, and induction of apoptosis in cancer cells. Plitidepsin also inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion, contributing to its antiangiogenic effects. In addition to its anticancer properties—particularly in multiple myeloma—it has demonstrated antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 by targeting host eEF1A required for viral protein translation[1][3][5][7].

Brand names

Aplidin

Other names

dehydrodidemnin B