What is "bryostatin"

n. (context medicine English) Any of a family of biologically-active macrolide lactones derived from the bryozoan ''Bugula neritina''

Bryostatins are a group of macrolide lactones first isolated in the 1960s by George Pettit from extracts of a species of bryozoan, Bugula neritina based on research from samples originally provided by Jack Rudloe to Jonathan L. Hartwell’s anticancer drug discovery group at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The structure of bryostatin 1 was determined in 1982. To date 20 different bryostatins have been isolated; further, certain analogs of bryostatin have been referred to as "bryologs". Bryostatins are potent modulators of protein kinase C. They are currently under investigation as anti- cancer agents, as anti-AIDS/HIV agents and as a memory-enhancing agent.