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Cephalotaxus alkaloids

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Japanese plum-yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonia)
The completely enclosed seeds of the Japanese plum-yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonii) are ripe.

Cephalotaxus alkaloids are natural products characterized by pentacyclic structure.

Occurrence

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These alkaloids are commonly found in the plum yew species (Cephalotaxus), especially in the Japanese plum-yew.[1]

Representative

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The most important representative is cephalotaxin. Other notable representatives include harringtonine and homoharringtonine.[1]

Properties

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Harringtonine and homoharringtonine exhibit antitumor activity and act against murine leukemia cells. They serve as protein and DNA biosynthesis inhibitors and are used against acute myelocytoxic leukemia.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Entry on Cephalotaxus-Alkaloide. at: Römpp Online. Georg Thieme Verlag, retrieved {{{Datum}}}.