ABSTRACT
The alkaloids comprise a very heterogeneous group of substances linked by the common possession of a basic nature, containing one or more nitrogen atoms, usually in combination as part of a cyclic system. Many alkaloids are also found in animals, including humans, where they could conceivably exert profound pharmacological effects. The furanoquinoline alkaloid, dictamnine, occurs in many species in the Rutaceae family of flowering plants, often in association with furocoumarins. The mechanism of the antiviral action appears to resemble furocoumarins, rather than carbolines, suggesting that the furyl group, when present, can govern the mode of interaction with nucleic acids. The papaverine alkaloid has many known biological effects, and many antiviral activities are described. Papaverine was found to inhibit, in a concentration-dependent manner, the replication of the virus in a single-step growth cycle. Many of alkaloids, such as the ß-carbolines, furanoquinolines, and camptothecin, can interact with DNA and other polynucleotides, and the interactions are enhanced by UVA.
