A simple and low-cost HPLC method with UV absorbance detection was developed and validated to simultaneously determine strychnine and brucine, the most abundant alkaloids in the processed Semen Strychni, in rat tissues (kidney, liver, spleen, lung, heart, stomach, small intestine, brain and plasma). The tissue samples were treated with a simple liquid-liquid extraction prior to HPLC. The LOQs w...

Brucine is the active component in traditional Chinese medicine "Ma-Qian-Zi" (Strychnos nux-vomica Linn), with capabilities of analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and so on. It is crucial how to break through the impact of cuticle skin which reduces the penetration of drugs to improve drug transmission rate. The aim of this study is to improve the local drug concentration by using ultrasou...

OBJECTIVE Brucine was encapsulated into stealth liposomes using the ammonium sulfate gradient method to improve therapeutic index. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four brucine stealth liposomal formulations were prepared, which were made from different phosphatidylcholines (PCs) with different phase transition temperatures (T(m)). The PCs used were soy phosphatidylcholine (SPC), dipalmitoyl phosphatidy...

A rapid and simple spectrophotometric procedure is described for the determination of ajmaline and brucine. The method is based on the development of blue coloured product due to reduction of tungstate and/or molybdate in Folin Ciocalteu’s reagent (FCR) by ajmaline and brucine in alkaline medium. The colour is stable for more than 48 h. The chromogenic reaction has max at 540 nm with molar abso...

Brucine is the predominant alkaloid present in the bark of the tree Strychnos nux vomica and is a weaker alkaloid when compared to strychnine. However, its toxicological property is akin to strychnine. We report a rare case of brucine poisoning complicated by acute renal failure and rhabdomyolysis. A 24-year-old male presented with a history of consumption of a decoction made from the bark of t...

The seeds of Strychnosnux-vomica L., as a traditional Chinese medicine, have good anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. However, it usually leads to gastrointestinal irritation and systemic toxicity via oral administration. In the study, it was discovered that a novel gel transdermal delivery system contained brucine, the main effective component extracted from Strychnosnux-vomica. Result...

We studied the interactions of strychnine, brucine, and three of the N-substituted analogues of brucine with [3H]N-methylscopolamine (NMS) and unlabeled acetylcholine at m1-m5 muscarinic receptors using equilibrium and nonequilibrium radioligand binding studies. The results were consistent with a ternary allosteric model in which both the primary and allosteric ligands bind simultaneously to th...

Combinations of anticancer agents are likely to be more effective in breast cancer therapy. Hence, in the present study we evaluated the in vitro anticancer activity of brucine when combined with gemcitabine in MDA MB-436 human breast cancer cells. The cells were cultured in vitro and treated with brucine and gemcitabine combinations. Cell viability was assessed by trypan blue exclusion assay a...