Fig. 1 Sea Slug, carrier of the tambjamine

Of Faial Island, namely the Port of Horta, reached to us the latest discovery coming from the oceans, made ​​by Italian researchers, in partnership with the Portuguese researcher Gonçalo Calado. This finding is related to the molecule Tambjamine K that was extracted from sea-slug “Figure 1″, Tambja ceutae that accumulates this toxic molecule for self-defense.

This bryozoan has been known for over 20 years with approximately 2.5 inches in length, was first found in 1988 in Ceuta, hence the scientific name assigned to it. As far as in Ceuta in Morocco, southern Spain, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira and the Azores, the places where it has been observed however, this never excelled for abundance.

The Tambjamines are part of a group of alkaloids which have been isolated from a bacteria and marine invertebrate animals, including sea slug Tambja ceutae, as has already been mentioned above.

From the structural point of view, the Tambjamines belong to the group of natural products 4 – metóxipiról, which include anti-tumor compounds. In most of these compounds the nitrogen atoms of the amine group are replaced by a short chain saturated alkyl.

Beyond their role in biological and ecological, many of these alkaloids have an enormous range of pharmacological properties including anti-tumor, antimicrobiotical and immunosuppressive, in particular the ability to merge the DNA strand and to facilitate its breakage. These also seem to be associated with the chemical defense mechanisms of the organisms from which they are extracted.

Hence, the chemical formula of this molecule is: C15H21N3O.

Fig. 2 Strutural formula of the molecular compound

Since it is a molecule that has recently been discovered, there is no much information about it, so that new developments are expected.

One of the reasons we decided to speak of this molecule is that we consider, there´s not much knowledge concerning their properties, and how they can be very important for human health.

This molecule may, without any doubt, change scientific knowledge, in particular in the treatment of diseases such as cancer, which at the present is one of the major causes of human deaths. Thus, we intend to alert the public to the revolution in the medical world, that will come with the help of this simple molecule.

We would also like to mention the support provided by the investigator Gonçalo Calado, who promptly responded to our requests, in order to provide the information necessary to make this report.