Anticancer Alkaloids

Plant derived Anticancer Alkaloids

1) Name of Alkaloid:- Homoharringtonine (Omacetaxine mepesuccinate)

Plant Origin:- (Cephalotaxus harringtonia)

Mechanism:- induces apoptosis by inhibition of protein synthesis

2) Name of Alkaloid: Camptothecin

Plant Origin:- from the bark and stem of Camptotheca, Happy tree) (Camptotheca acuminata)

Mechanism:- a cytotoxic quinoline alkaloid which inhibits the DNA enzyme topoisomerase I (topo I).

3) Name of Alkaloid:- Taxol (Paclitaxel)

Plant Origin:- the bark of the Pacific yew tree

(Taxus brevifolia)

Mechanism:- a mitotic inhibitor used in cancer chemotherapy.stabilizes microtubules and as a result, interferes with the normal breakdown of microtubules during cell division.

4) Name of Alkaloid:- Taspine Hydrochloride

Plant Origin:- from Dragon's blood, a latex prepared from the cortex of the tree (Croton lechleri) fam. (Euphorbiaceae)

Mechanism:- unknown mechanism of action but it was found to induce strong caspase-cleavage of cytokeratin-18 in HCT116 cells also found to induce activation of caspase-3

5) Name of Alkaloid:- Vinblastine

Plant Origin:- isolated from the Madagascar Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus)

Mechanism:- It binds tubulin, thereby inhibiting the assembly of microtubules.since microtubules arenecessary for the separation of chromosomes during anaphase of mitosis.

6) Name of Alkaloid:- Vincristine

Plant Origin:- isolated from the Madagascar Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus)

Mechanism:- Vincristine binds to tubulin dimers, inhibiting assembly of microtubule structures. Disruption of the microtubules arrests mitosis in metaphase.

Anticancer alkaloids from marine floras

7) Name of Alkaloid:- Brugine

Plant Origin:- in (Bruguiera sexangula)

Mehanism: active against two tumors, Sarcoma 180, and lewis lung carcinoma.

8) Name of Alkaloid:- Lophocladine A

Plant Origin:- bioactive alkaloid from the red alga (Lophocladia sp.) , collected from Fijian Island, New Zealand

Mechanism: Lophocladine A (1)