Alkaloid Fraction (alkaloid + fraction)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Antioxidant Activity of Crude Extract, Alkaloid Fraction, and Flavonoid Fraction from Boldo (Peumus boldus Molina) Leaves

JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 5 2004
N. Quezada
ABSTRACT: Boldo is an endemic plant from Chile widely used in folk medicine, whose biological (mainly antioxidant) activity has been attributed to the presence of the alkaloid boldine. The aim of this study was to determine the contribution of the flavonoid and other crude fractions from boldo leaves to the antioxidant activity of extracts. The main constituent in the flavonoid fraction was also isolated. The antioxidant activity and reducing power of crude boldo extract and fractions were measured and compared with natural and synthetic antioxidants. The antioxidant activity of boldo leaf extracts came mainly from the flavonoid fraction (44.1%) followed by the alkaloid fraction (15.6%), with catechin and boldine being the main contributors of the antioxidant activity of these 2 fractions (60.9% and 35.6% of the total activity, respectively). On the basis of these results, we propose to use catechin and boldine as markers for the antioxidant activity of boldo leaves. Tailor-made antioxidants to be used in foods can be prepared by enriching these 2 fractions. [source]


Argemone oil induced cellular damage in the reproductive tissues of transgenic Drosophila melanogaster: Protective role of 70 kDa heat shock protein

JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMICAL AND MOLECULAR TOXICOLOGY, Issue 4 2003
Indranil Mukhopadhyay
Abstract We explored the reproductive toxicity of argemone oil and its principal alkaloid fraction in transgenic Drosophila melanogaster (hsp70-lacZ) Bg9. The toxicity of argemone oil has been attributed to two of its physiologically active benzophenanthridine alkaloids, sanguinarine and dihydrosanguinarine. Freshly eclosed first instar larvae of transgenic Drosophila melanogaster were transferred to different concentrations of argemone oil and its alkaloid fraction contaminated food. Virgin flies that eclosed from the contaminated food were pair-mated to look into the effect on reproduction. The study was further extended by investigating hsp70 expression and tissue damage in larval gonads, genital discs, and reproductive organs of adult fly. Our results showed that argemone oil was more cytotoxic than its principal alkaloid fraction. Moreover, it was the male fly that was more affected compared to its opposite number. The accessory glands of male reproductive system of the fly, which did not express hsp70, exhibited severe damage as evidenced by Trypan blue staining. This prompted us to explore the ultrastructural morphology of the gland, which showed acute signs of necrosis in both the cell types as evident by necrotic nuclei, higher vacuolization, and disorganized endoplasmic reticulum, decrease in the number of Golgi vesicles and disorganized, loosely packed filamentous structures in the lumen of the accessory gland, at the higher concentrations of the adulterant. The study showed the reproductive toxicity of argemone oil and its alkaloid fraction in transgenic Drosophila melanogaster and further confirmed the cytoprotective role of hsp70. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 17:223,234, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/jbt.10082. [source]


Antioxidant Activity of Crude Extract, Alkaloid Fraction, and Flavonoid Fraction from Boldo (Peumus boldus Molina) Leaves

JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE, Issue 5 2004
N. Quezada
ABSTRACT: Boldo is an endemic plant from Chile widely used in folk medicine, whose biological (mainly antioxidant) activity has been attributed to the presence of the alkaloid boldine. The aim of this study was to determine the contribution of the flavonoid and other crude fractions from boldo leaves to the antioxidant activity of extracts. The main constituent in the flavonoid fraction was also isolated. The antioxidant activity and reducing power of crude boldo extract and fractions were measured and compared with natural and synthetic antioxidants. The antioxidant activity of boldo leaf extracts came mainly from the flavonoid fraction (44.1%) followed by the alkaloid fraction (15.6%), with catechin and boldine being the main contributors of the antioxidant activity of these 2 fractions (60.9% and 35.6% of the total activity, respectively). On the basis of these results, we propose to use catechin and boldine as markers for the antioxidant activity of boldo leaves. Tailor-made antioxidants to be used in foods can be prepared by enriching these 2 fractions. [source]


Evaluation of anticancer activity of the alkaloid fraction of Alstonia scholaris (Sapthaparna) in vitro and in vivo

PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 2 2006
Ganesh Chandra Jagetia
Abstract The anticancer effect of various doses of an alkaloid fraction of Sapthaparna, Alstonia scholaris (ASERS), was studied in vitro in cultured human neoplastic cell lines (HeLa, HepG2, HL60, KB and MCF-7) and in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma bearing mice. Treatment of HeLa cells with 25 µg/mL ASERS resulted in a time dependent increase in the antineoplastic activity and the greatest activity was observed when the cells were exposed to ASERS for 24 h. However, exposure of cells to ASERS for 4 h resulted in 25% viable cells and hence this time interval was considered to be the optimum time for treatment and further studies were carried out using this time. Treatment of various cells with ASERS resulted in a concentration dependent decline in the viable cells and a nadir was reached at 200 µg/mL in all the cell lines studied. The IC50 was found to be 5.53, 25, 11.16, 10 and 29.76 µg/mL for HeLa, HePG2, HL60, KB and MCF-7 cells, respectively. Similarly, administration of ASERS, once daily for 9 consecutive days to the tumor bearing mice caused a dose dependent remission of the tumor up to 240 mg/kg body weight, where the greatest antitumor effect was observed. Since 240 mg/kg ASERS showed toxic manifestations, the next lower dose of 210 mg/kg was considered as the best effective dose, in which 20% of the animals survived up to 120 days post-tumor-cell inoculation as against no survivors in the saline treated control group. The ASERS treatment resulted in a dose dependent elevation in the median survival time (MST) and the average survival time (AST) up to 240 mg/kg ASERS and declined thereafter. The surviving animals were healthy and disease free. The effect of ASERS was better than cyclophosphamide, which was used as a positive control, where all the animals succumbed to death by 40 days and the MST and AST were 19.5 and 18.3 days, respectively. The effective dose of 210 mg of ASERS was 3/10 of the LD50 dose, which increased the MST and AST up to 54 and 49.5 days, respectively. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Antitumor activity of total alkaloid fraction of solanum pseudocapsicum leaves

PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH, Issue 9 2003
Shrishailappa Badami
Abstract The total alkaloid fraction of the methanolic extract of Solanum pseudocapsicum leaves was tested for its in-vivo antitumor activity against Dalton's Lymphoma Ascites model in mice. The total alkaloid fraction at 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg body weight doses exhibited antitumor activity as revealed by the signi,cant increase in the mean survival time and the percentage increase in life span of tumor bearing mice. The antitumor activity observed may be due to its cytotoxic properties. However the treatment caused a signi,cant decrease in the body weight below the normal indicating the toxicity of the treatment. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]