Hernandia voyronii cytotoxic activity

Five isoquinoline alkaloid dimers with pavine and tetrahydrobenzylisoquinoline moieties, known as hervelines A-D (VIII.1-VIII.4) and HB (VIII.5), have been isolated from the stem bark of Hernandia voyronii Jum. (8,9,48), used as an adjuvant to chloroquine in Malagasy herbal practice and against chronic malaria (8,9). Two of them, harvelines B (VIII.2) and C (VIII.3) reversed in vitro chloroquine resistance to the resistant strain of P. falciparum (9) and exhibited moderate antimalarial activity (8,9,48). Harveline HB (VIII.5), an alkaloid whose structure has not been determined, also potentiated the effect of chloroquine and showed weak in vitro cytotoxicity against HeLa cells (48). 

---