Narcissus and Daffodil

MeO
MeO
HO
O
O
O
NMe
Galanthamine
HO
HO
H
H
Lycorine
Fortucine
OH
OH
N
H
N
OH
Figure 8.1 Formulae of galanthamine, lycorine and fortucine.
Sources of galanthamine 243
the case of surgical interventions (Klyuev and Babayan, 1979; Kovanev et al.,
1967; Krylov, 1999; Mashkovsky and Kruglova-L’vova, 1951; Mashkovsky, 1955,
1984; Saev and Tenev, 1963; Sokolov and Zamotaev, 1989; Turova and Sapozhnikova,
1982). It counteracts the sedative, hypnotic or respiratory effects of
benzazepines and is used for treatment of schizophrenia (Snorrason, 1996).
Galanthamine is a selective acetylcholinesterase inhibitor which was recently clinically
trialled for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (Fulton and Benfield, 1996;
Selles et al., 1997b). The biogenetic precursor of galanthamine, (±)-narwedine, has
been studied as a respiratory stimulator (Bazhenova et al., 1972). Narwedine was
shown to inhibit the action of narcotics and hypnotics, and to increase the effect of
analgesics.
Lycorine (Figure 8.1), also known as Narcissin and Galanthidin (Negwer, 1978),
and dihydrolycorine have antiarrhythmic action (Aliev, 1972), and lycorine hydrochloride
is used in medicine in Russia as a strong broncholytic (Klyuev and
Babayan, 1979). Some alkaloids of this group possess an inhibitory activity on
herpes simplex virus (Renard-Nozaki et al., 1989). The pharmacological activity
of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids has been reviewed by Ruan (1988) and Evidente et al.
(1986).