Alkaloids of the Lauraceae

This chapter presents an overview of the chemistry and pharmacology of the alkaloids found in species of the Lauraceae family. The occurrence of alkaloids from Lauraceae species as well as their chemical structures is summarized in informative and easy-to-understand tables. Within the Lauraceae family, the genera Ocotea (195), Litsea (180), Cryptocarya (133), and Neolitsea (110) have led to the greater number of publications regarding alkaloids content. Valuable and comprehensive information about the structure of these alkaloids is provided. The alkaloids of the aporphine type, found in 22 of the 23 genera, represent the predominant group in this family. Many of the isolated alkaloids exhibit unique structures. From plants of this family, 22 different types of skeletons have been isolated, among them only the purine alkaloids are classified as pseudoalkaloids, and the types phenethylamines, phenethylcinnamides, and phthalidoisoquinoline are classified as protoalkaloids. The chapter is presented as a contribution for the scientific community, mainly to enable the search for alkaloids in species belonging to the Lauraceae family.