Berberine: A Fluorescent Alkaloid with a Variety of Applications from Medicine to Chemistry

Abstract

Berberine, a fluorescent, aromatic, heterocyclic alkaloid, produced in a diversity of plants, was found to have curative properties in Chinese herbal medicine. Berberine is used as a treatment for gastric and inflammatory diseases and as an antimicrobial agent. More recently the potential of this alkaloid in diverse new medical application like cardiology, neurology and oncology is being investigated. As a result of its fluorescent properties, it has also been used in chemistry to study protein conformation and protein/protein interactions and to quantitate non-fluorescent compounds. All these applications will be summarized and discussed in this review.

Nanoformulation and Evaluation of Oral Berberine-Loaded Liposomes

“…For optical microscopy, the liposomes samples were placed onto glass-bottom dishes and imaged using an inverted confocal microscope. A plant-origin BBR exhibits fluorescence when excited at the wavelength of 350 nm and shows an emission spectrum ranging from 470 to 670 nm [ 44 ]. We used a 488 nm argon laser for excitation and detected the signal at 500–570 nm range.…”

Synthesis of 10-O-aryl-substituted berberine derivatives by Chan–Evans–Lam coupling and investigation of their DNA-binding properties

“…Berberine (1a) is the most prominent member of the protoberberine family, i.e., a group of tetracyclic isoquinolinium alkaloids [1]. Like many members of this family, berberine (1a) is a natural product and may be isolated from different plants such as berberis vulgaris, hydrastis canadensis or coptidis rhizome [2]. Particularly, the latter is established in traditional Chinese medicine as source for anti-inflammatory extracts [2].…”

“…Like many members of this family, berberine (1a) is a natural product and may be isolated from different plants such as berberis vulgaris, hydrastis canadensis or coptidis rhizome [2]. Particularly, the latter is established in traditional Chinese medicine as source for anti-inflammatory extracts [2]. Berberine has also been employed in modern medicine because of its antimicrobial [3], antiprotozoal [4], antiviral [5], and anti-inflammatory [6] activity, and it is used in the treatment of tuberculosis [7], diarrhea [8], diabetes [9], cardiovascular diseases [10] or high cholesterol levels [11].…”

Anticancer Potential of Natural Isoquinoline Alkaloid Berberine

“…9 Berberine possesses yellow fluorescence under ultraviolet light and it is also used as a stain for histological examinations. 10,11 Berberine-containing plants have been used in traditional In-dian Ayurvedic and Chinese systems of medicine to treat various disorders in humans for a long time. 7,12-14 Berberine acts as an antimicrobial, anti-oxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antidiarrheal, antidepressant, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, anti-arrhythmic, anti-osteoarthritic, chemo-sensitizing, hepatoprotective, and neuroprotective agent.…”