Phytochemical and biological investigations of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids: a review

Abstract

Amaryllidaceae is a family that includes 75 genera and about 1100 species, which have a long history of medicinal use. Many plants have been proven to possess efficacy for neurological injury and inflammatory conditions. This article summarizes 357 Amaryllidaceae alkaloids, and cites 166 174 references over the last three decades. These alkaloids are classified into 14 skeleton types, and their abundant sources are also included. Modern pharmacology studies demonstrate that alkaloids that exclusively occur in Amaryllidaceae plant possess wide-ranging pharmacological actions, especially effects on the central nervous system, as well as antitumor, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activities. Effective monomeric compounds from Amaryllidaceae screened for pharmacological activity in vivo and in vitro are also summarized.

Keywords:

• Amaryllidaceae
• alkaloids
• chemical structure
• anti-Alzheimer’s disease
• antitumor

Acknowledgments

We also appreciated the support from Key University Science and Technology Platform of Liaoning Province (No. 2011-191) and Science and Technology Plan of Dalian City (2014E12SF065).