The Genus Nerine Herb. (Amaryllidaceae): Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry, and Biological Activity.

Nerine Herbert, family Amaryllidaceae, is a genus of about 30 species that are native to South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and Swatini (formerly known as Swaziland). Species of Nerine are autumn-flowering, perennial, bulbous plants, which inhabit areas with summer rainfall and cool, dry winters. Most Nerine species have been cultivated for their elegant flowers, presenting a source of innumerable horticultural hybrids. For many years, species of Nerine have been subjected to extensive phytochemical and pharmacological investigations, which resulted in either the isolation or identification of more than fifty Amaryllidaceae alkaloids belonging to different structural types. Amaryllidaceae alkaloids are frequently studied for their interesting biological properties, including antiviral, antibacterial, antitumor, antifungal, antimalarial, analgesic, cytotoxic, and cholinesterase inhibition activities. The present review aims to summarize comprehensively the research that has been reported on the phytochemistry and pharmacology of the genus Nerine.

AKR1C3 Inhibitory Potency of Naturally-occurring Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids of Different Structural Types.

Aldo-keto reductase 103 (AKRIC3) is an important human enzyme that participates in the reduction of steroids and prostaglandins, which leads to proliferative signaling. AKRIC3 is frequently upregulated in various cancers, and this enzyme has been suggested as a therapeutic target for the treatment of these pathological conditions. The fact that the isoquinoline alkaloid stylopine has been identified as a potent AKRIC3 inhibitor has prompted us to screen a library of diverse types of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids, which biogenetically are isoquinoline alkaloids, on a recombinant form of AKRIC3. From the tested compounds, only tazettine showed moderate AKRIC3 inhibitory potency with an IC5o value of 15.8 ? 1.2 pM. Tazettine is a common Amaryllidaceac alkaloid, which could be used as a model substance for the further development of either analogues or related compounds with better inhibition potency.