Related Experiment Videos
A dinitrogenous alkaloid from Cyrtanthus obliquus
Natalie D Brine1, William E Campbell, Jaume Bastida
1Pharmacology Division, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, Observatory 7925, South Africa.
Phytochemistry
|October 16, 2002
Summary
Researchers isolated a new alkaloid, obliquine, from Cyrtanthus obliquus bulbs. This compound and five known alkaloids showed no cytotoxicity against mammalian cell lines in initial tests.
Area of Science:
- Phytochemistry
- Natural Product Chemistry
- Pharmacognosy
Background:
- Cyrtanthus obliquus bulbs are a potential source of bioactive natural products.
- Alkaloids are a diverse class of compounds with various pharmacological activities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and characterize novel alkaloids from the ethanolic extract of Cyrtanthus obliquus bulbs.
- To evaluate the cytotoxic activity of the isolated alkaloids against mammalian cell lines.
Main Methods:
- Phytochemical investigation using ethanolic extraction of Cyrtanthus obliquus bulbs.
- Structure elucidation of isolated compounds utilizing 1D and 2D Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) techniques and High-Resolution Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (HREIMS).
- Cytotoxicity assays performed on two mammalian cell lines.
Main Results:
- A new dinitrogenous alkaloid, obliquine (1), was isolated and structurally characterized.
- Five known alkaloids: 11alpha-hydroxygalanthamine, 3-epimacronine, narcissidine, tazettine, and trisphaeridine were also identified.
- Obliquine and the known alkaloids exhibited no significant cytotoxicity at concentrations up to 100 microg/ml.
Conclusions:
- The ethanolic extract of Cyrtanthus obliquus bulbs is a source of unique alkaloid structures, including the novel obliquine.
- The tested alkaloids from C. obliquus do not possess cytotoxic properties against the evaluated mammalian cell lines at the tested concentrations.