Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Ethnomedicinal Uses —
It is used as a mild purgative in southern Nigeria. The root is used as
an anthelmintic and for the treatment of menorrhagia. Related species are used in Asia for the treat-
ment of cardiovascular disorders, including hypertension.
Constituents —
Members of the genus contain isoquinoline and dimers joined in a tail-to-tail
manner with α,β-stereochemistry at the chiral isoquinoline carbons.
985
Pharmacological Studies —
The activity of the alkaloids is typified by tetrandrine, which
has been shown to exhibit negative inotropic activity in isolated cardiac muscle and shortening
of the cardiac action potential.
986,987
Its hypotensive activity in normotensive and SHRs has been
reported.
988
A similar blood pressure lowering effect has been observed in dogs, and the activity was
associated with a mild bradycardic effect.
989
The plant also possesses antiviral, anti-inflammatory,
and antiplasmodial activities.
STEPHANIA DINKLAGEI
Botanical Name —
Stephania dinklagei
(Engl.) Diels
Synonym —
Cissampelos dinklagei
Engl.
Family —
Menispermaceae
African Names —
Hausa: damargaji, jibjar kasa; Yoruba: ogbagi-akokko
Description —
Stephania dinklagei
is a climbing shrub, up to 24 m long. The young stems are
ridged, with the stem swollen, and warty at the base. The leaves are broadly ovate to suborbicu-
lar, up to 15 cm in diameter. It produces greenish flowers on old leafless branches. The fruits are
depressed-globose and yellow when ripe and contain crescent-like seeds.
Habitat and Distribution —
It occurs mainly in deciduous forests. It is distributed throughout
the continent but mainly in the East Coast from Uganda to Tanzania.
Ethnomedicinal Uses —
The species, like other members of the family, are employed exten-
sively in the preparation of folk remedies. In Sierra Leone, the plant is used as a sedative and as a
medication for menorrhagia. The plant is also administered in the treatment of infertility and as an
anthelminthic. Extracts of the plant are employed as an antitussive in Ghana.
990
Constituents —
The plant contains alkaloids belonging to the aporphine and isoquinoline
group.
991,992
The major alkaloids found in the plant include corydine (which constitutes 0.27% as the
most abundant), dinklageine, norcorydine, isocorydine, stephanine, stephalagine,
N-
methylglaucine,
and
N-
methylcorycine.
Pharmacological Studies —
Corydine is slightly sedative and hypnotic and has a depressant
activity on the heart and respiratory system. The alkaloid mixture has a sympathetic action on
the central and peripheral nervous system. A fraction of the alkaloid extract has been shown to
act on the cerebral cortex to exert a stimulatory action on the CNS.
993
The root infusion showed
antispasmodic activity in the isolated rabbit intestine at concentrations of 1% and above. A drop in
contractile tone and arrest of peristalsis was observed at 4% concentration.
523
At 5% concentration,
it reversed the acetylcholine- and barium chloride-induced contraction.
523
An alkaloidal cepharan-
thine (CT) isolated from a related Asian species,
S. cepharantha,
has been found useful in clinical
practice in the treatment of leukopenia during radiation therapy or cancer chemotherapy,
994,995
aph-
thous stomatis,
996
and alopecia areata,
997
as well as for the treatment of snakebites.
998
Several biochemical mechanisms have been proposed to account for the clinical efficacy of
CT; these include stabilization of cell membranes, inhibition of histamine release from mast mem-
branes, inhibition of lipid peroxidation, and stimulation of hematopoiesis.
999,1000
It has been shown
that although CT exhibits an enhancement or rhythmic perfusion of microvascular blood due to
vasomotion, this microvascular dilatory effect appears not to have any direct association with the
systemic hemodynamics.
146
