Narcissus and Daffodil

Table 6.4 Continued
Alkaloid Activity References
* Powerful inhibitor of growth and
cell division in higher plants,
algae and yeasts, inhibiting the
cell cycle during interphase.
Ascorbic acid is required for cell
division
* Inhibitor of cell division in rat
fibroblasts. Ascorbic acid is
required for cell division
* Inductor of flat morphology in
K-ras-NRK cells (transformed
fibroblasts)
* Inhibitor of protein synthesis,
blocking the peptide bond
formation step
* Plant growth inhibitor by
inhibition of protein synthesis
* The effects on ascorbic acid
biosynthesis occur at
concentrations below those at
which protein synthesis is
affected
* Moderate antitumoural. Its
mechanism of action is thought
to be through inhibition of
protein synthesis at the
ribosomal level
* Decreases the growth of several
viruses through its inhibitory
action on viral protein synthesis
* Active against several RNA
and DNA viruses
* Does not inhibit the activity of
reverse transcriptase
* Inhibitor of DNA synthesis
* Is able to differentiate between
cells containing mitocondrial
DNA and those lacking it.
Inhibits growth of strains
containing mitocondrial DNA
* Cytotoxic against a variety of
cultured cell lines
* Inhibitor of HeLa cells growth
* Antimalarial
* Weak protozoicide
* Inhibitor of germination
of seeds and growth of roots.
Lycorine-1-O-β-D-glucose has
the reverse effect, and may
also produce mitogenic activity
in animal cells
* Ungeremine, a natural
metabolite of lycorine, is
Singh and Pant, 1980
Tanker et al., 1996
Van den Berghe et al., 1986
Vrijsen et al., 1986
Weniger et al., 1995
Yui et al., 1998