Alkaloids constitute the largest class of plant secondary compounds, occurring in 20 to 30% of perennial herbaceous species in North America. Alkaloid-containing plants are of interest, first because alkaloids often have pronounced physiological reactions when ingested by livestock, and second because alkaloids have distinctive taste characteristics. Thus, alkaloids may kill, injure, or reduce ...

BACKGROUND Tissue damage is associated with pain, which is an alarming sign. Aspirin and morphine have been widely used in recent decades for management of pain. Medicinal herbs have been in use for treatment of different diseases for centuries. Many of these herbs possess analgesic activity with relatively less incidences of adverse effects. The strong positive correlation of alkaloids in medi...

The overproduction of specialized metabolites requires plants to manage the inherent burdens, including the risk of self-intoxication. We present a control mechanism that stops the expression of phytoalexin biosynthetic enzymes by blocking the antecedent signal transduction cascade. Cultured cells of Eschscholzia californica (Papaveraceae) and Catharanthus roseus (Apocynaceae) overproduce benzo...

Catharanthus roseus (L.) G.Don is a plant which produces anticancer and anti-mitotic indole alkaloids. Colchicine is an anti-mitotic drug. Anti-mitotic effects of Vinca herbacea Waldst. & Kit. indole alkaloids is unknown. The study were evaluated the antimitotic effect of alkaloids of V. herbacea, Catharanthus roseus andcolchicineon mitosis and microtubule arrangement of human blood cells. In t...

Either chemical or enzymatic oxidation of catechols or catecholamines in the presence of nucleophiles (amino acids, peptides, and proteins) leads to the production of ring-substituted o-semiquinones which have been detected by ESR spin stabilization techniques. In many cases, radicals have been completely characterized and structures assigned. Chemical considerations point to a mechanism involv...

A very efficient route to the diastereoselective synthesis of polyhydroxy pyrrolidines, piperidines and azepanes from an aldehyde derivative of ribose is reported. Asymmetric α-amination of aldehydes using proline catalysed hydrazination is the key step in the synthesis. The method utilizes the stereocenters present in ribose and the extra carbon atoms present in the target molecules are incorp...

1. The 3-sulphates of cholic, chenodeoxycholic and deoxycholic acids were prepared as crystalline disodium salts. 2. The method described shows that it is possible to prepare specific sulphate esters of polyhydroxy bile acids and to remove protecting acyl groups without removing the sulphate. 3. A study of bile acid sulphate solvolysis showed that none of the usual methods give the original bil...

Amaryllidaceae is a well-known family for its high alkaloidal content. These alkaloids comprise a unique group of bases that have been found to occur in this family. The Amaryllidaceae alkaloids represent a large and still expanding group of isoquinoline alkaloids, the majority of which are not known to occur in any other family of plants This article reports on the phytochemical investigation ...

Previous studies have shown that the phenylisothiocyanate tropane analog 2-beta-propanoyl-3-beta-(2-naphthyl)-8-[4-isothiocyanato)benzyl]nortropane (HD-205) binds covalently to dopamine and serotonin transporters (DAT and SERT, respectively) in rat brain membranes (Biochem Pharmacol 74:336-344, 2007). The present study evaluated the irreversible effects of HD-205 in vivo in rats after intracran...

background & aim: fabaceae plant family cow tail (smirnovia iranica) is one of the valuable species of native shrubs and sand dunes in the central region of iran which is consistent with the production of forage and soil conservation and creating a beautiful landscape; it has the active ingredients of medicinal values. the purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of some phytoc...