Ergoline alkaloids occur in taxonomically unrelated taxa, such as fungi, belonging to the phylum Ascomycetes and higher plants of the family Convolvulaceae. The disjointed occurrence can be explained by the observation that plant-associated epibiotic clavicipitalean fungi capable of synthesizing ergoline alkaloids colonize the adaxial leaf surface of certain Convolvulaceae plant species. The fu...

Hairy root cultures of Brugmansia suaveolens were set up by infection of root tips with Agrobacterium rhizogenes. The successful transformation was confirmed by analysing rolC and virC genes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Hairy root cultures were employed to study the formation of tropane alkaloids, such as hyoscyamine. The transformed cultures were incubated with potential elicitors, s...

Plants that contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids are widely distributed in the world. Although pyrrolizidine alkaloids have been shown to be genotoxic and tumorigenic in experimental animals, the mechanisms of actions have not been fully understood. The results of our recent mechanistic studies suggest that pyrrolizidine alkaloids induce tumors via a genotoxic mechanism mediated by 6,7-dihydro-7-hyd...

Rauwolfia serpentina also known as Sarpagandha is an integral part of Ayurvedic medical system for over centuries for the treatment of various ailments. The leaves and roots of Rauwolfia serpentina contain alkaloids which are secondary metabolites. Major alkaloids identified are Reserpine, Rauwolfine, Serpentine, Sarpagine, Ajmaline, Yohimbine and Ajmalicine. Insulin binds to insulin receptors ...

Ergot alkaloids, produced by the plant parasitic fungi Claviceps purpurea are important pharmaceuticals. The chemistry, biosynthesis, bioconversions, physiological controls, and biochemistry have been extensively reviewed by earlier authors. We present here the research done on the organic synthesis of the ergot alkaloids during the past two decades. Our aim is to apply this knowledge to the sy...

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...

The potential induction of a programmed cell death (PCD) in Trypanosoma b. brucei by 55 alkaloids of the quinoline, quinolizidine, isoquinoline, indole, terpene, tropane, steroid, and piperidine type was studied by measuring DNA fragmentation and changes in mitochondrial membrane potential. For comparison, the induction of apoptosis by the same alkaloids in human leukemia cells (Jurkat APO-S) w...

background: plants infection with microorganisms as well as physical factors such as osmotic stresses especially drought stress induced particular secondary metabolite production. objective: plant root and shoot hyoscyamine (hyo) and scopolamine (sco) variations were investigated under three water deficit stress (wds) levels as 30 (w1), 60 (w2) and 90 % (w3) water depletion of field capacity an...

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 ...