Seasonal pharmacological properties and alkaloid content in Cyrtanthus contractus NE Br

0446274 - ÚEB 2016 RIV ZA eng J - Journal Article
Ncube, B. - Nair, J. J. - Rárová, Lucie - Strnad, Miroslav - Finnie, J.F. - van Staden, J.
Seasonal pharmacological properties and alkaloid content in Cyrtanthus contractus NE Br.
South African Journal of Botany. Roč. 97, MAR 2015 (2015), s. 69-76. ISSN 0254-6299. E-ISSN 1727-9321
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT(CZ) LO1204
Institutional support: RVO:61389030
Keywords : Acetylcholinesterase * Alkaloids * Cyrtanthus
Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology
Impact factor: 1.244, year: 2015

Representatives of the genus Cyrtanthus including Cyrtanthus contractus of the Amaryllidaceae family are widely used in African traditional medicine for the treatment of a range of ailments, including mental illness and age-related dementia. The alkaloid constituents distributed within the genus, which are chiefly responsible for the biological activity of the derived extracts, are thought to be influenced by changes in the growing environment. Natural growing populations of C. contractus were tagged and collected every 15th day of each month over a 12 month period. The ethanol bulb extracts from each of the collected samples were evaluated for total alkaloid content, cytotoxic effects, acetylcholinesterase and cyclooxygenase inhibition as well as antimicrobial activities. Some notable bioactivities were recorded for extracts collected during certain months of the year, particularly the cytotoxic effects against human cancer cell lines and enzyme inhibition (AChE and COX). The cytotoxic effects and AChE and COX enzyme inhibitory activities of extracts collected in May and September are of considerable interest. Similarly total alkaloids varied markedly from one month to the other. The bioactivity exhibited by C. contractus bulb extracts during certain months of the year, particularly in May and September, justifies the collection and use of these bulbs for treatment of the relevant ailments in traditional medicine during these periods.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0248281