Chapter 2: Synthesis of Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids (Ismine, Trisphaeridine and Bicolorine)
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CHAPTER 2: SYNTHESIS OF AMARYLLIDACEAE ALKALOIDS (ISMINE, TRISPHAERIDINE AND BICOLORINE) 126 2.1 Introduction Plants and natural products have played a long a crucial role in the treatment of various illnesses. They provide valuable sources of compounds with a wide variety of chemical structures and biological activities and have provided important prototypes for the development of novel drugs.1 It is impossible to overrate the importance of natural extracts as potential sources of new drugs. It is estimated that the plant kingdom comprises about 250,000 species, of which approximately 7% have been studied for biological activity and about 17% phytochemically.2 The Amaryllidaceae family consists of about 75 genera, whose 1100 species are widely spread in several countries around the world. Plants from the Amaryllidaceae family are used for the production of volatile oil. They are also cultivated as ornamental plants for their beautiful flowers. Amaryllidaceae plants are extensively used in traditional medicine throughout the tropics. They are used for their pharmacological effects and are frequently associated with several typical synthesized alkaloids.3 With the isolation of lycorine from N. pseudonarcissus,4 the study of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids began in 1877 and the interest around this group of naturally occurring compounds has increased with time because of their effective antitumoral and antiviral activities. Lycorine (3) (Figure 1) is a pyrrolo[de] phenathridine ring type alkaloid extracted from different Amaryllidaceae species, whose structure was elucidated by Nagakawa et al. in 1956.5 Lycorine got increasing attention due to its ability to inhibit ascorbic acid synthesis in vivo,6 the chemical and biological properties of this interesting alkaloid are being further investigated.7 The alkaloids of the Amaryllidaceae family are mainly differentiated in to nine structural types which are compounds of crinine, galanthamine, lycorine, lycorenine, montanine, narciclasine and tazettine as shown in Figure 1.8 Hundreds of new alkaloids isolated from different parts and in different vegetative phases of ca. 150 species belonging to 36 genera can be grouped into 12 distinct ring types (Table 1).9,10 The structures of a representative alkaloid of each ring type are shown in Figures 1, 2, 3, and 7. Plants of the Amaryllidaceae family are a well known source of tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids with a wide range of biological activities, including antitumoral, antiviral, psychopharmacological, antiparasitic, and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory, among others.11 Extracts from the plants are applied in ethnopharmacology for different diseases. One of the most important compounds is galanthamine (32) (Figure 3), an inhibitor of acetyl cholinesterase, which is registered as a drug for Alzheimer’s disease.12 127 Figure-1: Ring types and representative Amaryllidaceae alkaloids. Narwedine (4) potentiates the pharmacological effects of caffeine, carbazole, arecoline, and to a lesser extent nicotine in laboratory animals. Nnarwedine and vittatine (12) potentiate the analgesic effects of suboptimal doses of morphine.13 Number of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids cause a transient fall in blood pressure in laboratory animals in high doses. Narwedine (4), galanthamine (32) and epigalanthamine (33) can produce significant hypotensive effects in mice. Galanthamine show the acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity and ability to amplify the nerve-muscle transfer.14 Extracts of several Amaryllidaceae plants were also found to possess pronounced antibacterial and antifungal activities.15 A number of species of the genus Amaryllis have been used in folk medicine, including Amaryllis belladonna L. (also named Hippeastrum equestre), which is cultivated in Egypt as an ornamental plant.16 Six alkaloids have been isolated from the bulbs of Amaryllis species, namely, lycorine (3, Figure 1), hippeastrine, pancracine, vittatine, 11-hydroxyvittatine, and amarbellisine (10-14, Figure 2).17 Amarbellisine, pancracine, vittatine, and 11-hydroxyvittatine have antibacterial activity against Gram-ve Escherichia coli, while pancracine also showed activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosae. Furthemore, all alkaloids from Amaryllis species, especially 128 lycorine, amarbellisine, and hippeastrine, showed antifungal activity against Candida albicans.17 Table -1: Ring types and representative Amaryllidaceae alkaloids. Ring Type Alkaloid Structure I N-(3,4-dioxybenzyl)-4-oxyphenethylamine norbelladine 1 II N-(3.4-dioxybenzyl)-3,4dioxyphenethylamine rystilline 2 III pyrrolo[de]phenanthridine lycorine 3 IV lycorenine hippeastrine 10 V galanthamine narwedine 4 VI 5,10b-ethanophenanthridine haemanthamine 5 VII 1,2-epoxy-5,10bethanophenanthridine 1,2-epoxy- 6 ambelline VIII pretazettine pretazettine 7 IX tetrahydroisoquinoline cherylline 8 X phenanthridone/lignoid crinasiadine 43 XI clivimine clivimine 18 XII ismine ismine 9 Amaryllidaceae alkaloids are antitumor potential and, also exhibited in vivo activity against various human viruses. Some members from the Amaryllidaceae family are toxic and cause symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, headaches, heartbeat irregularities, excessive salivation, visual disturbance, and dermatitis. Alkaloids from Ammocharis family are widely distributed genus, generally inhabit seasonal wet places. Ammocharis coronica contains biochemicals and triterpenoids in its bulbs, which is known for toxicity. Therefore, instead of oral administration, fresh, wet scales are cooked and used as enemas for blood cleansing or applied topically to open wounds or boils.18 Plants of the Bophane genus produce large bulbs and characteristic alkaloids. Bophane disticha (L. f.) herb is toxic plant containing compounds with alleged hallucinogenic potential. Bulb scales or infusions not only used on septic wounds and external sores, but also for rheumatism and relief of pain. Decoctions are also used for the treatment of headaches, cramps, and internal pains.18 129 Figure-2: Alkaloids from A. belladonna L.; hippeastrine (10), pancracine (11), vittatine (12), 11-hydroxyvittatine (13), and amarbellisine (14). The BrunsVigia genus produces large bulbs containing a number of alkaloids having significant antineoplastic, antimalarial, and cytotoxic activity. The bulbs are applied as antiseptic dressings on fresh wounds, while bulb decoctions are administered for the treatment of abdominal, colds, coughs, renal, and liver complaints.18 CliVia species, (CliVia miniata or CliVia nobilis) are cultivated in Egypt as ornamental plants for their beautiful flowers. A root infusion of C. miniata regel is used to treat snake bites and wounds. A South African woman takes roots and leaves during pregnancy and child birth. Aqueous leaf extracts have proven to augment or induce labor. Bulb decoctions are used against infertility and urinary complaints.18 A number of CliVia species are reported to contain Amaryllidaceae alkaloids represented by the 3a,4-dihydrolactone[2]-benzopyrano[3,4g]indole ring system. This contains clivonine (15, Figure 3), isolated from C. miniata and clivatine, clivimine, nobilisine, and nobilisitine A and B (16, 18, 19, 20 and 17, Figure 3) isolated from C. nobilis.(+)-8- Demethylmaritidine (21, Figure 3), a crinine type alkaloid, was also isolated from this species.10 The antimicrobial activity of the alkaloid extract from C. nobilis was tested against Gram +ve (S. aureus) and Gram –ve (E. coli and P. aeruginosae) bacterial strains as well as fungi (C. albicans). All alkaloids with the exception of clivimine showed antibacterial activity against Gram -ve S. aureus. The same compounds, in particular, nobilisitine B, exhibited antifungal activity against C. albicans.19 130 Figure-3: Alkaloids from Clivia spp., clivonine (15), clivatine (16), clivimine (18), nobilisine (19), nobilisitine A (20) and B (17), and (+)-8-demethylmarilidine (21). Two new pyrrolophenanthridone alkaloids, pratorimine and pratosine (24 and 25, Figure 4), were isolated from the bulbs of Crinum latofolium and characterized by spectral analysis, chemical transformations, and synthesis.20 The bulbs of C. jagus and crinum glaucum are used in traditional medicine for memory loss in southern Nigeria and other mental symptoms associated with aging. Alkaloids from each species show inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. The most active alkaloids are hyamine (23, Figure 4) and lycorine (3, Figure 1), while other alkaloids show comparatively less activity, such as haemanthamine and crinamine (5, Figure 1 and 22, Figure 4). Cholinesterase activity seems to be due to the presence of two free hydroxyl groups in this structural type of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids.21 The use of Crinum extends to animals, such as the treatment of weight loss, low milk production, milk loss, or for healthy calves and placenta retention in cattle.22 The structures of the Crinum alkaloids are derived in to three fundamental nuclei i.e., N- (3,4-dioxybenzyl)-4-oxyphenethylamine (norbelladine, 1, Figure 1), pyrrolo[de] 131 phenanthridine (lycorine, 3, Figure 1), and 5,10b-ethanophenanthridine (vittatine or crinine, 12, Figure 2, 29 and 6). Figure-4: Selected alkaloids from Crinum spp.: crinamine (22), hyamine (23), pratorimine (24), and pratosine (25). The genus Cyrtanthus species are used in South African as a traditional medicine. C. mackenii show activity against storms and evil. Other related species are used to treat diseases like chronic coughs, scrofula, cystitis, headache, and leprosy and also used during pregnancy and child birth.