squalamine
/ˈskweɪləmiːn
/noun [mass noun] Biochemistry
A compound of the steroid type found in sharks, which has antibiotic properties.In 1992, he discovered squalamine - a natural steroid that fights cancer by blocking off blood flow to tumours - in the liver of the dogfish shark....
- While they have no proof, the researchers think squalamine is also found in other species of shark.
- There has been no proof in clinical trials that squalamine has benefits in the in vivo setting.
Origin
1990s: from Latin squalus (denoting a kind of marine fish and used as a rare term in English for 'shark') + amine.