Formation of an unusual dimeric compound by lead tetraacetate oxidation of a corynanthe-type indole alkaloid, mitragynine. (1/44)

Lead tetraacetate oxidation of a Corynanthe-type indole alkaloid, mitragynine, produced mainly 7-acetoxyindolenine derivative (2) together with a dimeric compound (4) as a minor product. The novel structure having a bridge between the C-11' and C-7 positions in the respective indolenine parts and its formation mechanism were studied.  (+info)

Gluco-indole alkaloids from Nauclea cadamba in Thailand and transformation of 3 alpha-dihydrocadambine into the indolopyridine alkaloid, 16-carbomethoxynaufoline. (2/44)

Three monoterpenoid gluco-indole alkaloids, 3beta-isodihydrocadambine, cadambine, and 3alpha-dihydrocadambine, were isolated from Nauclea cadamba ROXB. growing in Thailand. The stereochemistry at C19 in 3beta-isodihydrocadambine was elucidated to be R by spectroscopic analysis. Treatment of 3alpha-dihydrocadambine with beta-glucosidase in aqueous ammonium acetate solution gave an indolopyridine alkaloid, 16-carbomethoxynaufoline, and an unusually rearranged compound.  (+info)

Chlorpromazine alone and with reserpine; use in the treatment of mental diseases. (3/44)

One hundred psychiatric patients were treated with chlorpromazine, alone or combined with reserpine. Fifty-six per cent of patients with chronic schizophrenic reactions showed moderate or pronounced improvement when treated with chlorpromazine alone. The results of treatment with the combined drugs were not so good as that. Indications are that treatment of patients with chronic schizophrenic reactions is more efficacious with these drugs than with other forms of somatic therapy. Complications of treatment were far greater with combined use of chlorpromazine and reserpine. For this reason, the combination appears to have limited usefulness. The Parkinson syndrome was the most frequent complication of large doses of these drugs. It appears to be a toxic reaction, requiring reduction in dosage. Jaundice appears to be neither a frequent nor a serious complication of treatment.  (+info)

Use of tranquilizers in diseases of the skin; a preliminary report. (4/44)

Tranquilizing agents such as chlorpromazine and reserpine were used in various diseases of the skin in which the psychogenic factors were considered important etiologic agents. While a tranquilizing effect was obtained in the majority of instances, the side reactions and variation in response were so great as to render these agents unsatisfactory for routine use as tranquilizers. Meprobamate (marketed under the trade names Miltown and Equanil) was then used on a group of dermatologic patients with more consistent tranquilizing effect and comparatively little unpleasant side reactions. It is felt that further study of the use of meprobamate as a tranquilizing agent in dermatology is worth while.  (+info)

Reserpine and chlorpromazine, their use in alcoholic and geriatric patients. (5/44)

Although reserpine and chlorpromazine had tranquilizing effect on a number of geriatric and alcoholic patients in a state hospital, several complicating results were noted, some with a bearing on the patients' health and others that might affect the assignment of personnel. Lipoprotein studies carried out on patients receiving reserpine seemed to indicate that a reduction in the blood levels of the denser lipoprotein molecules took place during therapy. Several elderly patients receiving chlorpromazine died of diseases that were not as sharply manifest by symptoms as they might be expected to be. Hence the need for closer observation than a limited staff could afford seemed a matter for consideration. Another consideration of the same order was the possible need for increased personnel for psychotherapy in light of the more receptive condition of the patients.  (+info)

Prepartum nausea and vomiting; a new approach to treatment. (6/44)

A controlled study of 101 patients indicated that a combination of amphetamine and Rauwolfia was effective in the treatment of prepartum nausea and vomiting. Good to excellent results were obtained in 53 (83 per cent) of 64 patients who received the combination. Five patients reported fair results; six were not benefited by the treatment. Only five of a control group of 37 patients who received placebos reported good results. In addition to relief of the symptoms of nausea and vomiting, concomitant emotional disturbances, notably anxiety and depression, were alleviated by the drug combination.  (+info)

Chemistry and pharmacology of analgesic indole alkaloids from the rubiaceous plant, Mitragyna speciosa. (7/44)

The leaves of a tropical plant, Mitragyna speciosa KORTH (Rubiaceae), have been traditionally used as a substitute for opium. Phytochemical studies of the constituents of the plant growing in Thailand and Malaysia have led to the isolation of several 9-methoxy-Corynanthe-type monoterpenoid indole alkaloids, including new natural products. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic and/or synthetic methods. The potent opioid agonistic activities of mitragynine, the major constituent of this plant, and its analogues were found in in vitro and in vivo experiments and the mechanisms underlying the analgesic activity were clarified. The essential structural features of mitragynines, which differ from those of morphine and are responsible for the analgesic activity, were elucidated by pharmacological evaluation of the natural and synthetic derivatives. Among the mitragynine derivatives, 7-hydroxymitragynine, a minor constituent of M. speciosa, was found to exhibit potent antinociceptive activity in mice.  (+info)

Development of a novel system for producing ajmalicine and serpentine using direct culture of leaves in Catharanthus roseus intact plant. (8/44)

Due to problems of production instability, the production of plant secondary metabolites using dedifferentiated cells (callus) is not always feasible on an industrial scale. To propose a new methodology, which does not use dedifferentiated cells, a novel system for producing useful secondary metabolites using the direct culture of intact plant leaves was developed. Catharanthus roseus was used as a model medicinal plant to produce terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs) by suspension culture of the leaves in the phytohormone-free MS liquid medium. Adjustment of the osmotic pressure (993 kPa at 25 degrees C) in the medium, light irradiation (60 micromol m(-2) s(-1)) and addition of glucose (10 g/l) were effective to promote the production of TIAs such as ajmalicine (Aj) and serpentine (Sp). On the basis of semi-quantitative RT-PCR analyses, it was revealed that the culture conditions promoted gene expression of enzymes in the TIA pathway in the cultured leaves. By feeding glucose (10 g/l) on day 10 of the culture period, Aj was produced at a concentration of about 18 mg/l and Sp was produced at a concentration about 11-fold that of the control. These results represent the first step in the development of a novel production system for plant secondary metabolites.  (+info)