Nowadays, tobacco smoking is the cause of ~5-6 million deaths per year, counting 31% and 6% of all cancer deaths (affecting 18 different organs) in middle-aged men and women, respectively. Nicotine is the addictive component of tobacco acting on neuronal nicotinic receptors (nAChR). Functional nAChR, are also present on endothelial, haematological and epithelial cells. Although nicotine itself is regularly not referred to as a carcinogen, there is an ongoing debate whether nicotine functions as a 'tumour promoter'. Nicotine, with its specific binding to nAChR, deregulates essential biological processes like regulation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, inflammation and cell-mediated immunity in a wide variety of cells including foetal (regulation of development), embryonic and adult stem cells, adult tissues as well as cancer cells. Nicotine seems involved in fundamental aspects of the biology of malignant diseases, as well as of neurodegeneration. Investigating the biological effects of nicotine may provide new tools for therapeutic interventions and for the understanding of neurodegenerative diseases and tumour biology.

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Discovery, isolation, biochemical/pharmacological characterization, pre-clinical and clinical trials of drugs derived from the marine environment are continuously developing and increasing. One of the most promising area is cancer therapy. Currently, there are two drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMA) in cancer treatment, namely Cytarabine (Cytosar-U1®) and Eribulin (E7389 or Halaven®). Trabectedin (ET-743 or Yondelis1®), approved by EMA, is completing key Phase III studies in the U.S. for final approval. It was estimated that 118 marine natural products (MNPs) are currently in preclinical trials, 22 MNPs in clinical trials and 3 MNPs on the market. The characteristics and selectivity profiles of new drugs for cancer therapy, as well as drugs disclosed in related patent applications, will be the focus of this review, providing a brief and ready to use reference.

Discovery, isolation, characterisation and pre-clinical and clinical trials of plant- or animal-derived drugs displaying pharmacological activities continue to develop and enlarge. Cancer chemotherapy is one of the most promising areas for these drugs. Since a very long time, nature has been an attractive source of potential medicinal agents for human use. The deep sea is becoming a novel and potently appealing source for new drugs, as well as shallow waters. This interest is mainly related to the terrific chemical diversity found in the vast number of plants and animal species, as well as in the microbial world. During the evolution, a rich source of biologically active compounds is developed in the depths of the sea, often reflecting ecological adaptation. Most of them (toxins) are developed to allow survival and flourishing acting against predators and parasites. Recent progress in Scuba diving, hi-tech/biotechnological and procedural advances in structure clarification, organic synthesis and biological assay determined the characterisation and preclinical/clinical evaluation of novel anticancer drugs. The aim of this review is to provide a description of their discovery, mode of action and clinical application.