The Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of , , and : 'Talented' Taxa from the Amaryllidaceae.

Cynthia Amaning Danquah, Prince Amankwah Baffour Minkah, Theresa A Agana, Phanankosi Moyo, Michael Ofori, Peace Doe, Sibusiso Rali, Isaiah Osei Duah Junior, Kofi Bonsu Amankwah, Samuel Owusu Somuah, Isaac Newton Nugbemado, Vinesh J Maharaj, Sanjib Bhakta, Simon Gibbons

Journal: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) 2022;27(14):4475

PMID: 35889346

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Abstract

Amaryllidaceae is a significant source of bioactive phytochemicals with a strong propensity to develop new drugs. The genera , , and biosynthesize novel alkaloids and other phytochemicals with traditional and pharmacological uses. Amaryllidaceae biomolecules exhibit multiple pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory effects. Traditionally, natural products from Amaryllidaceae are utilized to treat non-communicable and infectious human diseases. Galanthamine, a drug from this family, is clinically relevant in treating the neurocognitive disorder, Alzheimer's disease, which underscores the importance of the Amaryllidaceae alkaloids. Although Amaryllidaceae provide a plethora of biologically active compounds, there is tardiness in their development into clinically pliable medicines. Other genera, including and , have received little attention as potential sources of promising drug candidates. Given the reciprocal relationship of the increasing burden of human diseases and limited availability of medicinal therapies, more rapid drug discovery and development are desirable. To expedite clinically relevant drug development, we present here evidence on bioactive compounds from the genera , , and and describe their traditional and pharmacological applications.

Address: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, PMB, Kumasi, Ghana.; Global Health and Infectious Disease Research Group, Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, PMB, Kumasi, Ghana.; Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, PMB, Kumasi, Ghana.; Department of Chemistry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa.; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Dr. Hilla Limann Technical University, Wa P.O. Box 553, Ghana.; Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Central University, Accra, Ghana.; Department of Optometry and Visual Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, PMB, Kumasi, Ghana.; Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.; Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana.; Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK.; The Centre for Natural Products Discovery (CNPD), Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK.

DOI: 10.3390/molecules27144475

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MeSH Terms: Allium, Amaryllidaceae, Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids, Crinum, Humans, Phytochemicals, Plant Extracts