Alkaloids of Pharmacological Importance in Catharanthus roseus

Abstract

Catharanthus roseus is a plant of the Apocynaceae family. It produces over 120 alkaloids, 70 of which are pharmacologically active. C. roseus produces vinblastine, utilized in treating Hodgkin's disease; testicular tumors, breast carcinoma, choriocarcinoma, Kaposi sarcoma and Letterer-Siwe disorder. Vincristine is used to treat acute lymphocytic leukemia, lymphosarcoma, lympho-granulomatosis and in solid infant tumors. The preparation process of 1 kg of vincristine has a cost of US$ 3.5 million, while vinblastine has a cost of US$1 million. Therefore, 530 kg of dry leaves are necessary to produce 1 kg of vincristine and half a ton for getting 1 g of vinblastine. The high cost is due to the low concentrations in the aerial portion. Due to the high market value and its effectiveness in different medical treatments, this chapter deals with the pharmacological application of the C. roseus alkaloids.

Potential Effects of Alkaloid vindolicine Substances in Tapak Dara Leafs (Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don) in Reducing Blood Glucose Levels

“…4,5 Sel-sel β kelenjar pankreas mensekresi insulin dalam dua fase. [22][23][24][25] Struktur dari vindolicine dapat diketahui dari beberapa metode pengukuran spectrum.…”

“…18 Metode ini membuktikan bahwa vindolicine merupakan turunan alkaloid indole. 18 [17][18][19][22][23][24][25] Farmakodinamik Akaloid vindolicine…”

The Morphological and Anatomical Traits of the Leaf in Representative Vinca Species Observed on Indoor- and Outdoor-Grown Plants

“…Vinca plants are intensely studied for their medical properties [ 3 , 4 , 5 ] due to the rich alkaloid content [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. These natural products are produced and stored in the aerial parts of Vinca plants [ 6 , 10 , 11 ], serving as protection against herbivores and pathogens.…”

“…[ 12 , 13 ]. V. minor is one of the most important medicinal species [ 14 ] and the sole source of vincamine in nature, one of the few alkaloids with beneficial effects on cells [ 3 , 15 ]. Quantitative and qualitative differences of the chemical composition in Vinca extracts are dependent on species and the high content of alkaloids, flavonoids, and phenolic compounds, are in correlation with different pharmacological effects [ 3 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ].…”

“…In extract preparation, besides the plant species, many factors influence the variability and diversity of the chemical composition, such as the plant organ and tissue, harvesting period and environmental conditions, or extraction method and the solvent used [ 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Previous results confirmed that the chemical composition varies with the Vinca extract, obtained from different organs such as the leaves of V. minor [ 6 , 7 , 14 , 20 ]; flowers, leaves, and/or roots of Vinca sardoa [ 21 ]; or from other different species of Vinca [ 4 , 8 ].…”