Planta Med 2013; 79 - OP8
DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1336422

Indole Alkaloids from Plants: Novel Structures, Bioactivities and Preclinical Investigation

XH Cai 1, T Feng 1, XN Li 1, YP Liu 1, JH Shang 1, XD Luo 1
  • 1State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650204 P. R. China

Monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs) account for an important group of natural products. Both their highly complex chemical structures and pronounced pharmacological activity have made research on these alkaloids, including elucidation of their biosynthetic pathways, very attractive for many decades.

We have reported several novel indole alkaloids from plant sources, of which four compounds have shown significant antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, preclinical investigation on indole alkaloids isolated from Alstonia. scholari has been carried out. Fortunately, an investigational new drug (IND) of total indole alkaloids has been approved for clinical trials to treat respiratory diseases (phase I and II) by SFDA of China in 2011.