Steroidal Alkaloids From the Apocynaceae Family: Their Isolation and Biological Activity

Abstract

Steroidal alkaloids are derived from the steroid skeleton with one or two nitrogen atoms. They are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions and possess a range of biological activities. The structures of steroidal alkaloids are comparable to those of anabolic steroids, steroidal hormones, and corticosteroids, making them a valuable source for drug discovery. Taxonomically, steroidal alkaloids are limited in distribution to certain plant families, predominantly the Apocynaceae, Buxaceae, Solanaceae, and Liliaceae. This review highlights the steroidal alkaloids from the Apocynaceae family and their biological activities. The articles published from 1919 to 2021 were included in this review. A total of 163 steroidal alkaloids and 12 biological activities were reported from plant species belonging to the Apocynaceae family in this period. Of the 410 genera in the Apocynaceae, only 10 contain steroidal alkaloids. Although some alkaloids from the Apocynaceae family were also reported in the Buxaceae family, especially tetracyclic triterpenes with a pregnane side chain, most steroidal alkaloids can only be found in several genera of the Apocynaceae family.

Prioritised identification of structural classes of natural products from higher plants in the expedition of antimalarial drug discovery

“…The steroidal alkaloid class of phytochemicals is limited in its distribution, amongst higher plants, being mainly confined to a few plant families that include the Solanaceae, Buxaceae, Apocynaceae, and Liliaceae sensu lato [ 36 , 37 ]. Structurally, steroidal alkaloids consist of a basic steroidal skeleton containing either one or two nitrogen atoms either in the rings or on an attached functional group [ 37 ].…”

“…The unique structural combination of the steroidal and alkaloid moieties endows this class of natural compounds with a unique set of physicochemical and biological properties. Consequently, they have a wide spectrum of biological activity including anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and anticholinergic [ 36 ]. They have received marked interest in the cancer field for their exceptional activity epitomised by the clinically approved prostate cancer therapeutic abiraterone acetate [ 37 ].…”

Therapeutic Role of Alkaloids and Alkaloid Derivatives in Cancer Management

“…Steroidal alkaloids are found in various plant species growing in Africa’s tropical and sub-tropical regions. Despite this diverse distribution and their varied biological activities, according to Abd Karim et al [ 77 ], their presence is limited to the Buxaceae, Liliaceae, Apocynaceae and Solanaceae plant families. Solamargine is a steroidal alkaloid isolated from some Solanaceae species.…”

Volatile and Primary Compounds of Marsdenia brunoniana Leaves and Fruits via SPME-GC-MS Assay

“…Apocynaceae is a significant family that is present all over the world (El-Fiki et al, 2019). This family group is spread in tropical and subtropic regions, including Indonesia (Ugraiah, Karuppusamy and Pullaiah, 2012;Abd Karim, Ismail and Osman, 2022).…”

“…They contain many chemical compounds in example marstenacigenins (A and B), tenasogenin in Marsdenia tenacissima; Marsdenin, is a glycoside compound from Marsdenia erecta and M. brunoniana is one such rare medicinal for diabetes treatment as well as antioxidant agent (Ugraiah, Karuppusamy and Pullaiah, 2012;Sudha, Muthusamy and R, 2016). Due to various phytochemicals, the marsdenia genus has activities that have been reported, including potential antibacterial; antimicrobial; antioxidant; anti-inflammatory; and anti-tumor (Mirza and Navaei, 2009;Abd Karim, Ismail and Osman, 2022;Moh et al, 2022). Intensive findings on M. brunoniana phytochemicals boost its commercial use.…”