Ortiz_2012_Molecules_17_13473

The Amaryllidaceae family is well known for its pharmacologically active alkaloids An important approach to treat Alzheimer&'s disease involves the inhibition of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase AChE Galanthamine an Amaryllidaceae alkaloid is an effective selective reversible and competitive AchE inhibitor This work was aimed at studying the alkaloid composition of four wild Argentinian Amarillydaceae species for the first time as well as analyzing their inhibitory activity on acetylcholinesterase Alkaloid content was characterized by means of GC-MS analysis Chloroform basic extracts from Habranthus jamesonii Phycella herbertiana Rhodophiala mendocina and Zephyranthes filifolia collected in the Argentinian Andean region all contained galanthamine and showed a strong AChE inhibitory activity IC(50 between 1.2 and 2 181;g/mL To our knowledge no previous reports on alkaloid profiles and AChEIs activity of wild Argentinian Amarillydaceae species have been publisihed The demand for renewable sources of industrial products like galanthamine and the need to protect plant biodiversity creates an opportunity for Argentinian farmers to produce such crops.