Biological and pharmacological activities of amaryllidaceae alkaloids

Abstract

The amaryllidaceae family consists of about 75 genera and 1100 species that are wide-spread in the tropics and warm temperate regions of the world. Since the first isolation of lycorine, more than 500 amaryllidaceae alkaloids have been isolated over the past three decades. The enormous numbers of diverse amaryllidaceae alkaloids are classified into different groups mainly according to their structural features. The representative alkaloids are norbelladine, lycorine, hippeastrine, narwedine, haemanthamine, pancratistatin, pretazettine, montanine, galanthindole, cherylline and ismine. Recently, more extensive studies have revealed that amaryllidaceae alkaloids exhibit a wide range of bioactivities, such as antitumor, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antimalarial and analgesic. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory and cytotoxic activities have also been reported. The aim of the present review is to discuss the recent developments on the biological and pharmacological activities of amaryllidaceae alkaloids with IC 50 or EC 50 values since 2005, supporting the potential therapeutic possibilities for the use of these compounds.

Cytotoxic activities of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids against gastrointestinal cancer cells

“…Collectively, it can be seen that conformational freedom of the C-ring, stereochemistry of the C/D-ring junction and free diol functionality in the C-ring in its original configuration in lycorine ( Fig. 1) are very crucial for cytotoxic activities (LamoralTheys et al, 2009(LamoralTheys et al, , 2010He et al, 2015). The basic SAR of crinanetype alkaloids can be hypothesized from the study of McNulty et al (2007), who screened mini-library of crinane-type alkaloids for their ability to induce apoptosis in rat liver hepatoma (5123c) cells.…”

“…These compounds exhibit a diversity of biological activities including antitumor, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antimalarial, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory and cytotoxic activities (He et al, 2015). The medical properties of these plants were already known in the fourth century B.C., when Hippocrates of Cos used oil from the daffodil Narcissus poeticus L. for the treatment of uterine tumors.…”

Identification of a Noroxomaritidine Reductase with Amaryllidaceae Alkaloid Biosynthesis Related Activities

“…Of the Amaryllidaceae alkaloids, galanthamine has been used clinically for treatment of Alzheimer disease symptoms (1,2). In addition to galanthamine, the chemically diverse Amaryllidaceae alkaloids have many documented pharmacological activities (3). For example, several have cancer fighting potential including hemanthamine, crinine, and lycorine (2,4,5).…”

“…Enzyme superfamilies capable of catalyzing reductions similar to the reduction of norcraugsodine to norbelladine include the aldo-keto reductases and short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase/ reductases (SDRs) 3 (14,15). An example of an imine reductase from the alcohol dehydrogenase branch of the SDR superfamily functions as a tetrahydroalstonine synthase in Catharanthus roseus (16).…”

The Amaryllidaceae alkaloids: biosynthesis and methods for enzyme discovery

“…The Amaryllidaceae alkaloids and their derivatives have been a source of novel acetylcholine esterase inhibitors, anti-cancer compounds, anti-viral compounds, and antibacterial compounds. The last 10 years of progress in the identification of these bioactive compounds has recently been reviewed (He et al, 2015). There are still new alkaloids being discovered in this group and even novel carbon skeletons with great potential to contribute to the list of known biologically active compounds.…”