Schumanniophyton problematicum

Schumanniophyton problematicum
In Ghana
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 2.3) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Rubiaceae
Genus:	Schumanniophyton
Species:	S. problematicum
Binomial name
Schumanniophyton problematicum (A.Chev.) Aubrev.
Synonyms
Assidora problematicaA.Chev.

Schumanniophyton problematicum is a species of plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is found in Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Sierra Leone. It is threatened by habitat loss. ^[1]

Chemistry

The plant has been found to contain the alkaloids rohitukine and rohitukine N-oxide, and the iridoid glycosides scyphiphorin A1–A2 and scyphiphorin B1–B2. ^[2] Alvocidib is a synthetic analog of rohitukine that acts as a CDK9 kinase inhibitor and is under clinical development for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. It has also been studied for the treatment of arthritis ^[3] and atherosclerotic plaque formation ^[4]

Rohitukine was initially extracted from Aphanamixis polystachya (the alkaloid name being derived from the synonym Amoora rohituka) and later from Dysoxylum binectariferum . ^{[5] [6]} - both of which plant species belong to the family Meliaceae.

The scyphiphorins were first isolated from (and subsequently named for) Scyphiphora hydrophylacea , which, like Schumanniophyton, belongs to the plant family Rubiaceae. ^[7]

References

1. Hawthorne, W. (1998). "Schumanniophyton problematicum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 1998: e.T34819A9891391. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.1998.RLTS.T34819A9891391.en .
2. Martins, Daiane; Nunez, Cecilia (22 July 2015). "Secondary Metabolites from Rubiaceae Species". Molecules. 20 (7): 13422–13495. doi: 10.3390/molecules200713422 . PMC   6331836 . PMID   26205062.
3. Sekine C, Sugihara T, Miyake S, Hirai H, Yoshida M, Miyasaka N, Kohsaka H (2008). "Successful treatment of animal models of rheumatoid arthritis with small-molecule cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors". J. Immunol. 180 (3): 1954–61. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.180.3.1954 . PMID   18209094.
4. Ruef J, Meshel AS, Hu Z, Horaist C, Ballinger CA, Thompson LJ, Subbarao VD, Dumont JA, Patterson C (1999). "Flavopiridol inhibits smooth muscle cell proliferation in vitro and neointimal formation In vivo after carotid injury in the rat". Circulation. 100 (6): 659–65. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.100.6.659 . PMID   10441105.
5. Harmon, AD; Weiss, U; Silverton, JV (1979). "The structure of rohitukine, the main alkaloid of Amoora rohituka (syn.Aphanamixis polystachya) (Meliaceae)". Tetrahedron Lett. 20 (1): 721–724. doi:10.1016/S0040-4039(01)93556-7.
6. Lakdawala, A. D.; Shirole, M. V.; Mandrekar, S. S.; Dohadwalla, A. N. (15 July 1988). "Immunopharmacological potential of rohitukine a novel compound isolated from the plant dysoxylum binectariferum". Asia Pacific Journal of Pharmacology. 3 (2): 91–98.^{[ unreliable source? ]}
7. Zhang, Si; Tao, Shu-Hong; Qi, Shu-Hua; Xiao, Zhi-Hui; Li, Qing-Xin (2009). "Scyphiphorins C and D, Two New Iridoid Glycosides from the Chinese Mangrove Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea". Heterocycles. 78 (6): 1557. doi: 10.3987/COM-08-11634 .