Pharmaceutical biology
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Pharmaceutical biology · Mar 2013
Synergistic and cytotoxic action of indole alkaloids produced from elicited cell cultures of Catharanthus roseus.
Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don (Apocynaceae) is a medicinal plant that produces more than 130 alkaloids, with special attention given to the production of the anti-hypertensive monomeric indole alkaloids, serpentine and ajmalicine, and the antitumor dimeric alkaloids, vinblastine and vincristine. ⋯ The results confirm that the powerful antitumor activity of this indole alkaloid-enriched bioactive extract is not due to the effect of a single compound but depends on the synergistic action of the four compounds identified.