A new bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid from a peruvian curare

A new pyrrole alkaloid from the roots of Cissampelos pareira

Phytochemical investigation of the roots of Cissampelos pareira Linn. led to the isolation of one new pyrrole alkaloid, cissampeline (1), together with ten known alkaloids, (-)-curine (2), (-)-cyclanoline (3), (+)-tetrandrine (4), (+)-obaberine (5), (+)-obamegine (6), (-)-oblongine (7), (+)-homoaromoline (8), (-)-nor-N׳-chondrocurine (9), trans-N-feruloyltyramine (10) and (+)-coclaurine (11). Their structures were elucidated by extensive NMR and MS spectroscopic analyses. Interestingly, compound 1 represents the first example of pyrrole alkaloid found in the genus Cissampelos. Moreover, compounds 5-11 were isolated for the first time from this genus. Among them, compound 6 showed the highest anti-acetylcholinesterase activity with an IC₅₀ value of 3.26 µM, whereas compound 8 displayed the most potent cytotoxicity against human colon cancer (HT29) cells with an IC₅₀ value of 7.89 µM.

HPLC isolation of the anti-plasmodially active bisbenzylisoquinone alkaloids present in roots of Cissampelos mucronata

The methanolic extract of dried, powdered Cissampelos mucronata roots possesses significant in vitro activity against Plasmodium falciparum. In order to enable further pharmacological testing, the substances responsible for the observed activity were purified, mainly by HPLC, using various stationary and mobile phases. The active principles were determined to be a series of bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids, a group of natural products for which one of the first routine preparative HPLC separation methods is described.