Alkaloids
The introduction of alkaloids:
The Term alkaloid means ashes of plants. Alkaloids are groups of natural occurring simple or complex, low molecular weight nitrogen containing compounds which are basic in nature. Alkaloids are produced by many organisms such as bacteria, fungi, plants and animals. Amino acid peptides, protein, nucleotides, nucleic acids, amines and antibiotics are not usually called alkaloids. Alkaloids are secondary metabolites abundantly found in plants, but also to a lesser extent in microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) and animals. In general, a given species contains only a few kinds of alkaloids, though both the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) and the ergot fungus (Claviceps) each contain about 30 different types. Certain plant families are particularly rich in alkaloids; all plants of the poppy family (Papaveraceae) are thought to contain them.
Alkaloids have diverse and important physiological effects on humans and other animals. Alkaloids are classified according to the main C-N skeleton structure, including many subtypes of alkaloids, namely pyrrole, pyridine, quinoline, isoquinoline, indole and other alkaloids. Generally, amino acids such as ornithine, lysine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan and histidine are precursor for most of the alkaloids. Alkaloids have a wide range of pharmacological activities, including antimalarial, antiasthmatic, anticancer, cholinergic, vasodilator, antiarrhythmic, analgesic, antibacterial and antidiabetic activities. Many drugs have been used in traditional or modern medicine, and some have become the starting point of drug discovery. For example, well-known plant alkaloids include narcotic analgesics morphine and codeine, muscle relaxants papaverine and antibacterial agents sanguinarine and berberine.
Classification of alkaloids:
The classification is mainly based on taxonomical distribution, pharmacological activity, and the presence of chemical entities.
-Taxonomic classification:This method classifies the vast number of alkaloid based on their distribution in various plant families like solanaceous alkaloids in the Solanaceae family or papilionaceous alkaloids in the papillionaceae family.
— Chemical classification: This is the most accepted way of classification of alkaloids which depends on the ring structure present in the alkaloid. The alkaloidal drugs are broadly categorized into three divisions:
The alkaloids which are called “True alkaloids” contain the nitrogen content in the heterocycle and it originates from the amino acids. The characteristic examples of alkaloids are nicotine, morphine, and atropine. Also, this group includes a few alkaloids that, besides nitrogen heterocycle, contain peptide fragments (for example, ergotamine) or terpene (for example, evonine). The piperidine alkaloids coniceine and coniine can be regarded as the true alkaloids, although they do not originate from the amino acids.
Polyamine Alkaloids- The derivatives of spermidine, spermine, and putrescine.
Cyclopeptide and peptide alkaloids.
Pseudoalkaloids: The alkaloid-like compounds that don’t originate from the amino acids. These groups are steroid-like and terpene-like alkaloids and purine-like alkaloids as well such as theobromine, theophylline, and caffeine. A few of the authors have classified the pseudo alkaloids compounds such as cathinone and ephedrine. Those particular alkaloids originate from the phenylalanine amino acid. But, they acquire their nitrogen atom not from the amino acid but via transamination.
— Pharmacological classification: Depending on the physiological response the alkaloids are classified under various pharmacological categories like CNS stimulants or depressants, sympathomimetics, analgesics, purgatives, etc. The main drawback of this system is that it does not take into consideration about chemical nature of the crude drug. Within the same drug, the individual alkaloids may exhibit different actions. Example- 1) Morphine is narcotic and analgesia while codeine is mainly antitussive. 2) Cinchona quinine is antimalarial whereas quinidine is a cardiac depressant.
Product Description:
Alkaloids are a diverse class of compounds, often containing a basic nitrogen atom, which are produced by a large variety of organisms including bacteria, fungi, plants and animals. The boundary between alkaloids and other nitrogen-containing natural compounds is not always clear-cut and the role of alkaloids in living organisms is often unclear, but most relate to a protective function. Many alkaloids and their derivatives have historically been used in medicine, agriculture and as psychoactive substances.
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