Aristolochic acids are a family of carcinogenic, mutagenic, and nephrotoxic phytochemicals commonly found in the flowering plant family Aristolochiaceae (birthworts). Aristolochic acid (AA) I is the most abundant one. The family Aristolochiaceae includes the genera Aristolochia and Asarum, which are commonly used in Chinese herbal medicine. Although these compounds are widely associated with kidney problems, liver and urothelial cancers, the use of AA-containing plants for medicinal purposes has a long history. The FDA has issued warnings regarding consumption of AA-containing supplements.
Noscapine is a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid, of the phthalideisoquinoline structural subgroup, which has been isolated from numerous species of the family Papaveraceae. It lacks significant hypnotic, euphoric, or analgesic effects affording it with very low addictive potential. This agent is primarily used for its antitussive (cough-suppressing) effects.
Aporphine is an alkaloid with the chemical formula C17H17N. It is the core chemical substructure of the aporphine alkaloids, a subclass of quinoline alkaloids. It can exist in either of two enantiomeric forms, (R)-aporphine and (S)-aporphine.
Scoulerine, also known as discretamine and aequaline, is a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid (BIA) that is derived directly from (S)-reticuline through the action of berberine bridge enzyme. It is a precursor of other BIAs, notably berberine, noscapine, (S)-tetrahydropalmatine, and (S)-stylopine, as well as the alkaloids protopine, and sanguinarine. It is found in many plants, including opium poppy, Croton flavens, and certain plants in the genus Erythrina.
Coptisine is an alkaloid found in Chinese goldthread, greater celandine, and opium. Famous for the bitter taste that it produces, it is used in Chinese herbal medicine along with the related compound berberine for digestive disorders caused by bacterial infections.
(S)-Tetrahydroberberine oxidase is an enzyme that catalyzes the final transformation in the biosynthesis of berberine, a quaternary benzylisoquinoline alkaloid of the protoberberine structural subgroup. This reaction pathway catalyzes the four-electron oxidation of (S)-tetrahydroberberine in the presence of oxygen to produce berberine and hydrogen peroxide as products.
The enzyme (S)-norcoclaurine synthase (EC 4.2.1.78) catalyzes the chemical reaction
Higenamine (norcoclaurine) is a chemical compound found in a variety of plants including Nandina domestica (fruit), Aconitum carmichaelii (root), Asarum heterotropioides, Galium divaricatum, Annona squamosa, and Nelumbo nucifera.
Substitution of the heterocycle isoquinoline at the C1 position by a benzyl group provides 1‑benzylisoquinoline, the most widely examined of the numerous benzylisoquinoline structural isomers. The 1-benzylisoquinoline moiety can be identified within numerous compounds of pharmaceutical interest, such as moxaverine; but most notably it is found within the structures of a wide variety of plant natural products, collectively referred to as benzylisoquinoline alkaloids. This class is exemplified in part by the following compounds: papaverine, noscapine, codeine, morphine, apomorphine, berberine, tubocurarine.
Tetrandrine, a bis-benzylisoquinoline alkaloid, is a calcium channel blocker. It is isolated from the plant Stephania tetrandra, and other Chinese and Japanese herbs.
(S)-Canadine, also known as (S)-tetrahydroberberine and xanthopuccine, is a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid (BIA), of the protoberberine structural subgroup, and is present in many plants from the family Papaveraceae, such as Corydalis yanhusuo and C. turtschaninovii.
Protopine is an alkaloid occurring in opium poppy, Corydalis tubers and other plants of the family papaveraceae, like Fumaria officinalis. Protopine is metabolically derived from the benzylisoquinoline alkaloid (S)-Reticuline through a progressive series of five enzymatic transformations: 1) berberine bridge enzyme to (S)-Scoulerine; 2) (S)-cheilanthifoline synthase/CYP719A25 to (S)-Cheilanthifoline; 3) (S)-stylopine synthase/CYP719A20 to (S)-Stylopine; 4) (S)-tetrahydroprotoberberine N-methyltransferase to (S)-cis-N-Methylstylopine; and ultimately, 5) N-methylstylopine hydroxylase to protopine.
Jatrorrhizine is a protoberberine alkaloid found in some plant species, such as Enantia chlorantha (Annonaceae). Synonyms that may be encountered include jateorrhizine, neprotin, jatrochizine, jatrorhizine, and yatrorizine.
Palmatine is a protoberberine alkaloid found in several plants including Phellodendron amurense, Coptis Chinensis and Corydalis yanhusuo, Tinospora cordifolia, Tinospora sagittata, Phellodendron amurense, Stephania yunnanensis.
Corydaline is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor isolated from Corydalis yanhusuo.
(S)-Cheilanthifoline is a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid (BIA) which has been isolated from Corydalis dubia and Argemone mexicana. (S)-Cheilanthifoline is metabolically derived from (S)-reticuline, a pivotal intermediate in the biosynthesis of numerous BIAs. (S)-Cheilanthifoline is the immediate precursor of the BIA (S)-stylopine ((S)-stylopine synthase/CYP719A20), which is the precursor for the alkaloids protopine and sanguinarine.
Berberine bridge enzyme-like form a subgroup of the superfamily of FAD-linked oxidases, structurally characterized by a typical fold observed initially for vanillyl-alcohol oxidase (VAO). This proteins are part of a multigene family (PF08031) that can be found in plants, fungi and bacteria.
Aporphine alkaloids are naturally occurring chemical compounds from the group of alkaloids. After the benzylisoquinoline alkaloids they are the second largest group of isoquinoline alkaloids.
(S)-corytuberine synthase is a cytochrome P450 enzyme purified from the plant Coptis japonica, with EC number EC 1.14.19.51 and CYP Symbol CYP80G2, and catalyses an intramolecular C-C phenol coupling of (S)-reticuline in magnoflorine biosynthesis.
The benzylisoquinoline alkaloids are natural products that can be classified as isoquinoline alkaloidss and are derived from benzylisoquinoline. They also include the benzyl(tetrahydro)isoquinoline alkaloids.
