Berberine INDEX

Intravenous administration of berberine (20 mg/kg) to anesthetized rats was observed to increase the cardiac index and stroke volume index. In the isolated guinea pig left atria, berberine (0.1 pmol/L) shifted the dose-response curve of ouabain to the left with an increase of the maximal effect. The alkaloid (10 pmol/L and 30 pmol/L) potentiated the maximal contractile force of ouabain and diminished the dose at which ouabain produced its peak effect. Berberine (30 pmol/L and 100 pmol/L) elevated the dose in which the toxicity of ouabain occurred. The investigators concluded that berberine might increase the cardiac output and widen the safety margin with ouabain-treatment [249]. 

The position of a leaf on the plant may affect its alkaloid content quite apart from the question of the leaf s age. Thus Cromwell (26) observed that young barberry leaves contained no detectable berberine until the bush carrying the leaf had itself reached an advanced age in other words, a leaf that is young when its parent plant is old is not an accurate index of the youth of a leaf borne when the plant itself was young. 

Price, C.J., and J.D. George. 2003. Final study report on the developmental toxicity evaluation for berberine chloride dihydrate (CAS No. 5956-60-5) administered in the feed to Swiss (CD-I ) mice on gestational days 6 through 17. Gao. Rep. Announc. Index No. 20 112. 

Compositionally 5,6-dihydro-9,10-dimethoxybenzo[g]-l,3-benzodioxolo[5,6-a]quinolizinium, an alkaloid which can be isolated from many plants notably various members of the Berberidaceae (for example, Berberis vulgaris L. and Hydrastis canadensis L.) and consequently a major component of dyes and lake pigments formed from these extracts Merck Index, 1996). Use of dye extracts derived from the so-called Amur cork tree , Phellodendron amurense Rupr. (Rutaceae), which also contains high levels of berberine, have been noted by several authors (see Phellodendron). 

Another essential factor that might induce the production of benzylisoquinolines could be the addition of biosynthetic precursors to the medium. Kamimura et al. (1976), for instance, described a stimulation of thebaine formation with the addition of tyrosine and dopa to the medium of Papaver bracteatum cultures. An increase from 0.05% of dry weight to 0.07% in the production of berberine in Argemone me-xicana (Menispermaceae) suspension cultures (Khanna et al. 1982) also was due to the addition of tyrosine, whereas phenylalanine in the medium only stimulated the growth index and the berberine yield remained constant. 

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