Salinomycin is a monocarboxylic polyether ionophorous antibiotic, isolated from Streptomyces albus species. It has been used for treatment of coccidiosis in broiler chickens. In 2009 Gupta and colleagues found that this antibiotic exerts a pronounced cytotoxicity against breast cancer stem cells in mice. They reported that salinomycin was 100 fold more active compared to paclitaxel (anti-breast cancer drug). However, some studies revealed that neuronal and muscular toxicity of salinomycin may limit the application of the antibiotic for treatment of cancer. Many derivatives of salinomycin have been synthesized as an attempt to improve the biological properties of the antibiotic. The lecture will present the results of our group on the metal complexes of salinomycin with divalent metal ions. The potential clinical applications of the complexes of salinomycin as antibacterial and antitumor agents will be discussed. A summary of our results for the potential application of salinomycin as an antidote for treatment of cadmium and lead intoxications will also be presented.

• Assoc. prof. Juliana Ivanova, Faculty of Medicine, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Sofia, Bulgaria
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