Plant alkaloids: classification, isolation and drug development

Wangchuk, Phurpa

Abstract

Plants contain alkaloids that have vast structural diversity with potential for therapeutic applications. Sequestering bioactive alkaloids from plants is a challenging task and it involves plant identification, collection, extraction, isolation, purification, structure elucidation, compound identification, and bioactivity screening. Recent advancements in mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy have revived the interest of the researchers that helped the discovery of many new bioactive alkaloids. Over 20,000 alkaloids have been isolated to date, out of which approximately 600 alkaloids have been analysed for their biological and medicinal properties. Many of these alkaloids, including taxol- isolated from Taxus brevifolia and quinine- isolated from Cinchona officinalis have become important drugs in the pharmaceutical industry. Recently, numerous drug-like alkaloids have been isolated from plants. For example, simplicifolianine isolated from Meconopsis simplicifolia was identified as a novel antimalarial alkaloid against multi-drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum. This chapter will highlight the history, classification, biological properties, isolation and structure elucidation, and medicinal application of alkaloids by providing case reports on the discovery of new alkaloids and drug leads.

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Medicinal Plants: chemistry, pharmacology and therapeutic applications

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978-0-367-11172-4

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Taylor & Francis Ltd

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Boca Raton, FL, USA

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DOI

10.1201/9780429259968