Alkaloid profile in wild autumn-flowering daffodils and their acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity

Amaryllidaceae alkaloids are secondary metabolites with interesting medicinal properties. Almost every Narcissus species can synthesize them and constitute an excellent source for their isolation and study. Several Amaryllidaceae alkaloids have shown acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities and ar...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Lisa-Molina, Julia, Gómez-Murillo, Pedro, Arellano-Martín, Irene, Jiménez, Carles, Rodríguez-Escobar, María Lenny, Tallini, Luciana R., Viladomat Meya, Francesc, Torras Claveria, Laura, Bastida Armengol, Jaume
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2023
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Barcelona
Repository:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/207870
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/207870
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Malaltia d'Alzheimer
Alcaloides
Amaril·lidàcies
Alzheimer's disease
Alkaloids
Amaryllidaceae
Description
Summary:Amaryllidaceae alkaloids are secondary metabolites with interesting medicinal properties. Almost every Narcissus species can synthesize them and constitute an excellent source for their isolation and study. Several Amaryllidaceae alkaloids have shown acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities and are a promising tool for treating cholinergic disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Indeed, three of the four palliative treatments approved for AD are acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors and one of them, galanthamine, is an Amaryllidaceae alkaloid itself. This molecule is currently isolated from natural sources. However, its production is insufficient to supply the increasing demand for the active principle. Our main aim is to discover tools to improve galanthamine production and to prospect for potential new and more efficient drugs for AD treatment. Furthermore, we seek to broaden the knowledge of plants of the genus Narcissus from a chemotaxonomic perspective. Hence, in this study, we evaluate the alkaloid content through GC-MS and the AChE inhibitory activity of ten autumn-flowering Narcissus, which have been less studied than their spring-flowering counterparts. A total of thirty Amaryllidaceae alkaloids have been found, twenty-eight properly identified. Two Narcissus contained galanthamine, and seven were able to inhibit AChE. Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Amaryllidaceae alkaloids; Narcissus; acetylcholinesterase.