Phytochemical and antiprotozoal activity of Ocotea lancifolia.

Thirteen known isoquinoline alkaloids were isolated from Ocotea lancifolia, popularly known as << canela pilosa >> in Brasil and << laurel né >> by the Guarani people which means smell laurel. Their activities against the promastigote forms of three Leishmania strains and the bloodstream form of Trypanosoma cruzi were evaluated, as well as their hepatocytotoxicity. Among them, the noraporphine alkaloid (-) caaverine has shown the most interesting antiprotozoal activity against Leishmania and T.

Analysis of Scutellaria lateriflora and its adulterants Teucrium canadense and Teucrium chamaedrys by LC-UV/MS, TLC, and digital photomicroscopy.

Methods using liquid chromatography with UV detection (LC-UV), thin-layer chromatography (TLC), and digital photomicroscopy were developed to distinguish between the different species of Scutellaria lateriflora L. and its adulterants Teucrium canadense L. and T.

Antiplasmodial and cytotoxic activity of natural bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids.

As part of an ongoing collaborative effort to discover new antimalarial agents from natural sources, we have tested 53 bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids for cytotoxicity against cultured mammalian cells and for antiplasmodial activity against chloroquine-sensitive and chloroquine-resistant clones of Plasmodium falciparum. The isolates from Cyclea barbata, Stephania pierrei, Stephania erecta, Pachygone dasycarpa, Cyclea atjehensis, Hernandia peltata, Curare candicans, Albertisia papuana, and Berberis valdiviana exhibited a wide range of biological potencies in antiplasmodial assays, and the majority exhibited some degree of cytotoxicity against human KB cells. More than half of the compounds tested, however, showed selective antiplasmodial activity, with >100-fold greater toxicity toward one or both of the P.

Trypanocidal bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids are inhibitors of trypanothione reductase.

Eleven bisbenzylisoquinoline (BBIQ) alkaloids were studied for in vitro trypanocidal activity against trypomastigote forms of the Y strain of Trypanosoma cruzi. The inhibitory activity of these compounds against trypanothione reductase (TR), a target enzyme for chemotherapy against Chagas disease, was also studied. Six BBIQ alkaloids (antioquine, cepharanthine, daphnoline, limacine, cycleanine and (-) curine) displayed a 50% lethal concentration (LC50) against T.

Isolation and structure elucidation of ardisenone: a new, cytotoxic alkenylphenol from Ardisia iwahigensis.

A methanol extract of leaves and twigs from Ardisia iwahigensis demonstrated toxicity toward brine shrimp as well as LNCaP, ZR-75-1, and Lu1 human cancer cells in culture. A novel alkenylphenol, (Z)-1,16-bis(3-hydroxy-5-methoxyphenyl)-10-hexadecene-1,15-dione (ardisenone) (1), was isolated from the extract by bioassay-directed fractionation. This compound demonstrated moderate cytotoxicity against BC1, Lu1, Col2, KB, KB-V1, and LNCaP cell lines.

(+)-Angchibangkine, a new type of bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid, and other dimers from Pachygone dasycarpa.

Analysis of the alkaloidal fraction of the stem bark extract of Pachygone dasycarpa (Menispermaceae) resulted in the isolation of 10 known bisbenzylisoquinolines, (+)-tetrandrine, (+)-penduline, (+)-fangchinoline, (+)-atherospermoline, (+)-N-methyl-7-O-demethylpeinamine, (+)-daphnoline, (4-)-isotrilobine (1), (+)-cocsuline (2), (+)-tricordatine (3), (+)-2'-norcocsuline, and the new alkaloid (+)-12-O-methyltricordatine (4). The last bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid isolated, (+)-angchibangkine (5), is the first member of this alkaloid class found to possess three diphenyl ether bridges in the 7-6',8-7', and 11-12' positions. Structure elucidation of these alkaloids and of (+)-O-methylangchibangkine (6) was achieved by analysis of spectral data.

The effect of bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids on Trypanosoma cruzi infections in mice.

Five bisbenzylisoquinoline (BBI) alkaloids, curine, cycleanine, isotet:andrine, limacine and pheanthine were tested for trypanocidal activity in C 3H He mice infected with Y or CL strain of Trypanosoma cruzi. The activity was compared with the baseline drug, benznidazole. Oral treatment was more effective with curine at 10 mg/kg or with cycleanine at 2 mg/kg daily for 10 days in mice infected with Y or CL strain.

Costaricine, a new antiplasmodial bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid from Nectandra salicifolia trunk bark.

A MeOH extract of Nectandra salicifolia trunk bark, obtained during a diversity-based plant collection in a lower montane rainforest in Costa Rica, showed activity in an in vitro antiplasmodial assay measuring incorporation of [3H]-labeled hypoxanthie by Plasmodium falciparum. In addition to 15 known alkaloids isolated from samples of trunk bark, roots, and leaves/twigs of this species, a new bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid (+)-costaricine [(+)-12-O-methyllindoldhamine] (1) was isolated from bark (0.038% yield) and from roots (0.

Bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids from Cyclea barbata.

Continuing studies of the alkaloidal fraction from the roots of Cyclea barbata afforded two new bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids, namely, (-)-2'-norlimacine [1] and (+)-cycleabarbatine [2]. The known (+)-tetrandrine-2'-beta-N-oxide [3], for which the configuration of the N-oxide function is now assigned, was identified, as were (+)-berbamine, (-)-repandine, (+)-cycleanorine, (+)-daphnandrine, (-)-curine, (+)-coclaurine, and (-)-N-methylcoclaurine.

Effect of isoquinoline alkaloids on soybean lipoxygenase activity in vitro.

Novel isoquinoline alkaloids were evaluated for their effect on the kinetics of a soybean lipoxygenase type I using linoleic acid as substrate. Some of these alkaloids were found to increase the initial reaction velocity, this property seems related to phenolic groups present in the molecule. The effect of these compounds on the soybean lipoxygenase activity was compared to that of others products which are known to affect this reaction.