Toxicological Effects of Berberine and Sanguinarine

Abstract

Berberine and Sanguinarine alkaloids belong to a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that mostly contain basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral or weakly acidic properties. Alkaloids are produced by a large number of organisms including bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals. Berberine and Sanguinarine both are isoquinoline derivatives and belong to protoberberine and benzophenanthridines, respectively. Tyrosine or phenylalanine is common precursor for the biosynthesis of both. Sanguinarine [13-methyl (1,3) benzodioxolo(5,6-c)-1,3-dioxolo (4,5) phenanthridinium] is a toxin that kills animal cells through its action on the Na+-K+-ATPase transmembrane protein. Berberine, on the other hand, has been reported to cause cytotoxicity and adversely influence the synthesis of DNA. Several workers have reported varied pharmacological properties of these alkaloids as they exhibit antibacterial, antiasthma, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic activities. This review article illustrates the toxicological effects of berberine and sanguinarine as well as mechanistic part of berberine and sanguinarine mediated toxicity in different living systems. This manuscript has included the lethal doses (LD50) of berberine and sanguinarine in different animals via different routs of exposure. Also, the effects of these alkaloids on the activities of some key enzymes, cell lines and organ development etc. have been summarized.

In-vitro analysis of free radical scavenging activities and suppression of LPS-induced ROS production in macrophage cells by Solanum sisymbriifolium extracts

“…Medicinal plants, which are the basis of traditional medicine in various countries, have been investigated for their pharmacological properties and have revealed numerous significant novel phytochemicals with the potential to treat and manage diseases 10 . This includes the discovery of paclitaxel (Taxol), an anticancer drug discovered from the bark of the Himalayan Yew tree 11 ; berberine isoquinoline alkaloid an antineoplastic, antidiabetic drug found in plants belonging to Berberidaceae family 12 , and Artemisinin, an antimalaria drug derived from Artemisia annua 13 , to mention a few. In recent studies, plants and their constituents have shown significant potential as therapeutic agents for oxidative stress and include polyphenolic compounds such as resveratrol, gallic acid, catechin, quercetin, kaempferol, and several anthocyanins from grapes skin 14 .…”

Berberine-Loaded Liposomes for the Treatment of Leishmania infantum-Infected BALB/c Mice

“…However, the encapsulation efficiency of BER in these liposomes was very low (2%, Table 2 ), probably due to the electrostatic repulsions between the positively charged BER molecule and the cationic lipid DDAB, which led us to discard this liposomes composition. DP was used for the preparation of anionic liposomes as the previously reported strong affinity of BER by phosphate groups [ 46 ] could increase its encapsulation. Although a higher encapsulation efficiency was reached (28.7%, Table 2 ), PC:Chol:DP-BER showed much higher toxicity than PC:Chol:TS-BER (>7-fold, Table 3 ) and similar to free BER, as well as higher size compared to PC:Chol:TS-BER (122 vs 245 nm, Table 2 ).…”

<p>IGFBP-3 Is the Key Target of Sanguinarine in Promoting Apoptosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma</p>

“…A wide range of pharmacological properties and effects have been reported, such as antimalarial (eg, quinine), antiasthma (eg, ephedrine), anticancer (eg, homoharringtonine), cholinomimetic (eg, galantamine), vasodilatory (eg, vincristine), antiarrhythmic (eg, quinidine), analgesic (eg, morphine), antibacterial (eg, chelerythrine), and antihyperglycemic activities (eg, vincristine and vinblastine). 16 SAN [13-methyl-(1,3) benzodioxolo-(5,6-C)-1,3-dioxolo(4,5)-phenanthrene] is the most widely used benzophenanthridine alkaloid, which originates from the Canadian Haemorrhoa and other Papaver plants, 17 and has antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. 18 SAN is a low toxicity, safe alkaloid and is relatively specific for cancer cells; 19,20 it has been approved with known safety and bioavailability by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and included in the Prestwick Chemical Library.…”