Abstract
The mountains of Central Asia with 70 large and small mountain ranges represent species-rich plant biodiversity hotspots. Major mountains include Saur, Tarbagatai, Dzungarian Alatau, Tien Shan, Pamir-Alai and Kopet Dag. Because a range of altitudinal belts exists, the region is characterized by high biological diversity at ecosystem, species and population levels. In addition, the contact between Asian and Mediterranean flora in Central Asia has created unique plant communities. More than 8100 plant species have been recorded for the territory of Central Asia; about 5000–6000 of them grow in the mountains. The aim of this review is to summarize all the available data from 1930 to date on alkaloid-containing plants of the Central Asian mountains. In Saur 301 of a total of 661 species, in Tarbagatai 487 out of 1195, in Dzungarian Alatau 699 out of 1080, in Tien Shan 1177 out of 3251, in Pamir-Alai 1165 out of 3422 and in Kopet Dag 438 out of 1942 species produce alkaloids. The review also tabulates the individual alkaloids which were detected in the plants from the Central Asian mountains. Quite a large number of the mountain plants produce neurotoxic and cytotoxic alkaloids, indicating that a strong chemical defense is needed under the adverse environmental conditions of these mountains with presumably high pressure from herbivores.
Highlights
Since ancient times, humans have been using plants for treating various diseases and health disorders
Containing plants (ACPs) are found in the angiosperm families Berberidaceae, Boraginaceae, Alkaloids and extracts of alkaloid-containing plants have been used throughout human history as Colchicaceae, Fabaceae, Fumariaceae, Liliaceae, Papaveraceae, Ranunculaceae, and Rutaceae, etc
The first consolidated list of ACPs of the region was provided by Orekhov [17], Lazurevskiy and Sadykov [18,19], Massagetov [20,21], and Sokolov [22]
Summary
Humans have been using plants for treating various diseases and health disorders. Alkaloids are organic bases (alkali-like), nitrogen-containing natural products, often with a rather complicated chemical structure They are produced by plants, fungi, bacteria and rarely by animals, and usually show substantial toxicological and pharmacological effects. Containing plants (ACPs) are found in the angiosperm families Berberidaceae, Boraginaceae, Alkaloids and extracts of alkaloid-containing plants have been used throughout human history as Colchicaceae, Fabaceae, Fumariaceae, Liliaceae, Papaveraceae, Ranunculaceae, and Rutaceae, etc. A wideSome range of pharmacological activities physiological effects humans, animals, and even of them are used in including antitumor (berberine, homoharringtonine, sanguinarine, vinblastine, vincristine), stimulant medicine, veterinary medicine, or agriculture. Alkaloids have a wide range of pharmacological (caffeine, cathinone, cocaine), hallucinogenic (dimethyltryptamine, ibogaine, mescaline, psilocybin), activities including antitumor (berberine, homoharringtonine, sanguinarine, vinblastine, vincristine), stimulant (caffeine, cathinone, cocaine), hallucinogenic (dimethyltryptamine, ibogaine, antiarrhythmic mescaline, anticholinergic (atropine, hyoscyamine, scopolamine), analgesic (codeine, morphine), psilocybin), anticholinergic (codeine, morphine),.
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