17 research outputs found
Antiproliferative cardenolides from <i style="">Pentopetia androsaemifolia </i>Decne.<i style=""> </i>from the Madagascar rain forest
248-257Plant natural products have historically
been very important to drug discovery and development, particularly in the anticancer
field. This is illustrated by a discussion of the structures and activities of
camptothecin and its analogues, paclitaxel (Taxol®), the vinca
alkaloids vinblastine and vincristine, and podophyllotoxin and its analogues. A
description of the isolation of one new and three known cardenolides from the
Madagascar plant Pentopetia androsaemifolia
is then provided as an example of this approach to drug discovery. The
paper concludes with a brief discussion of betulinic acid, an old compound
which is being developed into an anticancer and anti-HIV agent, and ipomoeassin
F, an interesting antiproliferative compound isolated from a plant collected in
Suriname