Catharanthus alkaloids Leukaemia

Vincamine, vinblastine and vincristine are very important clinic alkaloids. They are produced naturally by plants vincamine by Vinca minor, and vinblascine and vincristine by Madagascar periwinkle Catharanthus roseus). The vindoline synthesis pathway starts with strictosidine and, via dehydrogeissoschizine, preakuammicine, stemmadenine and tabersonine, is converted to vindoline and vincristine (Figure 42). Conversion from vindoline to vinblastine is based on the NADH enzyme activity. Vinblastine and vincristine are very similar alkaloids. The difference is that vincristine has CHO connected to N, whereas vinblastine in the same situation has only CO3. This synthetic structural differences influence their activity. Vinblastine is used to treat Hodgkin s disease (a form of lymphoid cancer), while vincristine is used clinically in the treatment of children s leukaemia. Vincristine is more neurotoxic than vinblastine. 

NSC 49842 Velban Velbe ) is one of the vinca alkaloids from Vinca rosea (Catharanthus roseus) (Apocynaceae). It is a cytotoxic ANTICANCER AGENT used by injection for acute leukaemias, lymphomas and some solid tumours, vinblastine sulfate vinblastine, vincaleucoblastine vinblastine, vincaleukoblastine vinblastine. 

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