Jul 1, 1969
Citations
0
Influential Citations
1
Citations
Journal
Acta Radiologica
Abstract
Vinca alkaloids, extracted from the pantropical ornamental periwinkle, botanically classified as Catharanthus roseus G. Don. (92, 182) but more frequently referred to as Vinca rosea Linn., of the family Apocynaceae, were originally studied because of reported usage of the crude extracts in indigenous medicine (55, 126, 180. 182). The reputation of this herb, to which historical hearsay ascribed empirical use as an oral hypoglycemic agent, prompted phytochemical investigations of its properties in 1949. Although no alterations in blood sugar level in treated normal rabbits or rabbits with experimentally induced hyperglycemia were observed, injections of the extracts into the animals resulted in death from septicaemia (9, 41, 115). This finding led to the separation of an alkaloid, termed vincaleukoblastine, capable of producing severe leukopenia and bone marrow depression in rats (41, 43, 116, 181). It was also demonstrated that a number of fractions derived from the Madagascan periwinkle resulted in prolongation of life of DBA/2 mice implanted with acute lymphocytic P 1534 leukemia (78, 80, 81). This led to the preparation of leurosine, an alkaloid chemically closely related to vincaleukoblastine (177). Later two additional active alkaloids, leurocristine and leurosidine, were separated (178).