ABSTRACT
Amaryllidaceae alkaloids represent a diverse class of natural bases that occur in different species of the family Amaryllidaceae. Owing to their wide spectrum of useful biological activities, these compounds have attracted the attention of both chemists and biologists. Many Amaryllidaceae alkaloids have been isolated and identified, and a number of methods to quantify them have been developed. Galanthamine, a common alkaloid in this family (Figure 11.1), has shown cholinesterase inhibitory activity and is currently undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Another member of this family, pancratistatin, has shown a highly characteristic differential cytotoxicity profile against a panel of human cancer cell lines and strong activity against RNA viruses. This compound is undergoing development towards human clinical trials. In an effort to find new sources of galanthamine (Tanahashi et al., 1990; Poulev et al., 1993; Bastos et al., 1996) and pancratistatin (Pettit et al., 1995a,b), several species of Amaryllidaceae have been examined.
