Alkaloids found in Fabaceae

Mescaline, also known as mescalin or mezcalin, and in chemical terms 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine, is a naturally occurring classical psychedelic protoalkaloid of the substituted phenethylamine class, found in cacti like peyote (Lophophora williamsii) and San Pedro (certain species of the genus Echinopsis).

Physostigmine (also known as eserine from éséré, the West African name for the Calabar bean) is a highly toxic parasympathomimetic alkaloid, specifically, a reversible cholinesterase inhibitor. It occurs naturally in the Calabar bean and the fruit of the Manchineel tree.

Cytisine, also known as baptitoxine, cytisinicline, or sophorine, is an alkaloid that occurs naturally in several plant genera, such as Laburnum and Cytisus of the family Fabaceae. It has been used medically to help with smoking cessation. It has been found effective in several randomized clinical trials, including in the United States and New Zealand, and is being investigated in additional trials in the United States and a non-inferiority trial in Australia in which it is being compared head-to-head with the smoking cessation aid varenicline (sold in the United States as Chantix). It has als

Lupinine is a quinolizidine alkaloid present in the genus Lupinus (colloquially referred to as lupins) of the flowering plant family Fabaceae. The scientific literature contains many reports on the isolation and synthesis of this compound as well as a vast number of studies on its biosynthesis from its natural precursor, lysine. Studies have shown that lupinine hydrochloride is a mildly toxic acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and that lupinine has an inhibitory effect on acetylcholine receptors. The characteristically bitter taste of lupin beans, which come from the seeds of Lupinus plants, is at

Vicine is an alkaloid glycoside found mainly in fava beans, which are also called broad beans (Vicia faba). Vicine is toxic in individuals who have a hereditary loss of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. It causes haemolytic anaemia, called favism. The formation of vicine in Vicia faba has been studied, but this natural formation has not yet been found.

Swainsonine is an indolizidine alkaloid. It is a potent inhibitor of Golgi alpha-mannosidase II, an immunomodulator, and a potential chemotherapy drug. As a toxin in locoweed (likely its primary toxin) it also is a significant cause of economic losses in livestock industries, particularly in North America. It was first isolated from Swainsona canescens.

Castanospermine is an indolizidine alkaloid first isolated from the seeds of Castanospermum australe. It is a potent inhibitor of some glucosidase enzymes and has antiviral activity in vitro and in mouse models.

Yuremamine is a phytoindole alkaloid which was isolated from the bark of Mimosa tenuiflora in 2005, and erroneously assigned a pyrrolo[1,2-a]indole structure that was thought to represent a new class of indole alkaloids. However, in 2015, the bioinspired total synthesis of yuremamine revealed its structure to be a flavonoid derivative. It was also noted in the original isolation of yuremamine that the alkaloid occurs naturally as a purple solid, but total synthesis revealed that yuremamine as a free base is colorless, and the formation of a trifluoroacetate salt during HPLC purification is wha

Matrine is an alkaloid found in plants from the family Fabaceae. It has a variety of pharmacological effects, including in-vitro anti-cancer effects, as well as κ-opioid and μ-opioid receptor agonism.

Oxymatrine (matrine oxide, 'matrine N-oxide, matrine 1-oxide') is one of many quinolizidine alkaloid compounds extracted from the root of Sophora flavescens, a Chinese herb. It is very similar in structure to matrine, which has one less oxygen atom, and oxymatrine is partially metabolized to matrine in the human gut. Oxymatrine has a variety of effects in vitro and in animal models, including protection against apoptosis, tumor and fibrotic tissue development, and inflammation. Furthermore, oxymatrine has been shown to decrease cardiac ischemia (decreased blood perfusion), myocardial injury, a