Abstract
Catharanthus roseus is a medicinal plant belonging to the family Apocynaceae which produces terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs) of high medicinal importance. Indeed, a number of activities like antidiabetic, bactericide and antihypertensive are linked to C. roseus. Nevertheless, the high added value of this plant is based on its enormous pharmaceutical interest, producing more than 130 TIAs, some of which exhibit strong pharmacological activities. The most striking biological activity investigated has been the antitumour effect of dimeric alkaloids such as anhydrovinblastine, vinblastine and vincristine which are already in pre-, clinical or in use. The great pharmacological importance of these indole alkaloids, contrasts with the small amounts of them found in this plant, making their extraction a very expensive process. To overcome this problem, researches have looked for alternative sources and strategies to produce them in higher amounts. In this sense, intensive research on the biosynthesis of TIAs and the regulation of their pathways has been developed with the aim to increase by biotechnological approaches, the production of these high added value compounds. This review is focused on the different strategies which improve TIA production, and in the analysis of the beneficial effects that these compounds exert on human health.
Highlights
Catharanthus is a perennial tropical medicinal plant belonging to the Family Apocynaceae which comprises eight species, seven endemic to Madagascar (C. coriaceus, C. lanceus, C. longifolius, C. ovalis, C. roseus, C. scitulus, C. trichophyllus), and one, C. pusillus, from India
C. roseus produces ajmalicine and serpentine, which are monoterpenic indole alkaloids used as anti-hypertensive and anti-neuro-inflammatory agents, yohimbine which is mainly used in treatments for erectile dysfunction, and vindolicine used for the development of antidiabetic therapeutics
After providing an overview of pharmacological activities of some terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs) and semi-synthetic Vinca alkaloids, this review aims to summarize and highlight the key issues of TIA-related research in the
Summary
Catharanthus is a perennial tropical medicinal plant belonging to the Family Apocynaceae which comprises eight species, seven endemic to Madagascar (C. coriaceus, C. lanceus, C. longifolius, C. ovalis, C. roseus, C. scitulus, C. trichophyllus), and one, C. pusillus, from India. The large interest in the anticancer compounds vinblastine and vincristine, which derive from the coupling of catharanthine and vindoline, contrasts with the low amounts of these compounds found in the plants, making their extraction a very expensive process. These low levels are mainly associated to the spatial separation of biosynthetic sites where these compounds are produced in the plant and to the high degree of specialization of some leaf cells where the assembly of specific steps of the TIA biosynthetic pathway occurs [6]. Special attention is focused on rational approaches, which are the most promising strategies to improve TIA production in the future
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