I work with the venom alkaloids from animals, especifically fire ants. These are piperidinic alkaloids with a range of interesting activities, the most famous of which to date is Solenopsin A. It can be used to treat cancer. Have a look, for instance, on the patent claim below:
http://www.patentstorm.us/applications/20050038071/claims.html
Thought it might interest you.
Dear Leeba
I have been working in the area of flavonoids. Like alkaloids flavonoids don't have direct influence in a cell cycle. But they can act as "super antioxidants" in scavenging the free radicals and thereby, as anticancer agents. For assessing this property in plants, you can adopt several methods and I would rather suggest the DPPH and ferrous ion chelation assays
Dear Leeba,
As per the literature most of the natural anti cancer agents are derived from alkaloids. These secondary metabolites are presently emerging as the most sought after therapeutic. However, the efficacy of any particular compound is subjective to the plant it is obtained from. Thus the efficiency of the alkaloid you are interested in is absolutely dependent on how it responds to basic screening assays before it can be adjudged as a potent anti cancer compound.
as per the history of secondary metabolites of plants . mostly alkaloids are synthesized by the plants for its own protection against its predator so mostly alkaloids has more chance of anticancer property.
Regards
Madhan
BioLim
Take Taxol for example obtained from Taxus Bravifolia...... The Vinca twins are there.....
Vinca alkaloids,vinblastine and vincristine are used primarily used in combination with other chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of a variety of cancer.
You should contact Prof. K. G. Ramawat, Dept. of Botany, M. L. Sukhadia University, Udaipur, India. His mailing address is: [email protected]
Thanks
Arun Kumar
Thank you so much to get out of my doubt. Now me focussing on alkaloid nature compounds.
Flavonoids have anti-cancer activity but alkaloids may not have. See attachement.
Several alkaloids have anticancer activity.
this one of the latest review
Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 485042, 12 pages
doi:10.1155/2012/485042
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