Cryptolepine research information, alkaloid info

Cryptolepine is a naturally occurring indoloquinoline alkaloid used as an antimalarial drug in Central and Western Africa.

Cryptolepine comes from the West African shrub Cryptolepis sanguinolenta. Several cryptolepine analogues have been synthesized that have potential antimalarial activity.

Characterization of the cytotoxic activity of the indoloquinoline alkaloid cryptolepine in human tumour cell lines and primary cultures of tumour cells from patients.
Invest New Drugs. 2008 October. Laryea D, Isaksson A, Wright CW, Larsson R, Nygren P. Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medical Sciences, University Hospital, 751 85, Uppsala, Sweden, Laryea D, Isaksson A, Wright CW, Larsson R, Nygren P.
The plant derived indoloquinoline alkaloid cryptolepine was investigated for its cytotoxic properties in 12 human tumour cell lines and in primary cultures of tumour cells from patients. Among patient solid tumour samples, those from breast cancer were the most sensitive and essentially as sensitive as haematological malignancies. Cryptolepine activity showed highest correlations to topoisomerase II and microtubule targeting drugs. In the cell lines cryptolepine activity was essentially unaffected by established mechanisms of drug resistance. A number of genes were identified as associated with cryptolepine activity. In conclusion, cryptolepine shows interesting in vitro cytotoxic properties and its further evaluation as an anti-cancer drug seems warranted.

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