长春花属于夹竹桃科(Apocynaceae),其中八种长春花属植物中七种是马达加斯加特有的。在印度传统医学(阿育吠陀)和中医(TCM)中,长春花已被用于治疗多种疾病,如糖尿病、疟疾和霍奇金淋巴瘤等。它是药物活性萜类吲哚生物碱(TIAs),包括育亨宾、长春碱、蛇纹石、长春新碱、长春里宁、长春西汀和利血平等最好的来源之一,这些化合物均是有效的抗癌药物,广泛用于治疗小儿急性白血病、恶性淋巴瘤和乳腺癌等。
据报道,长春花属植物中含有超过130种活性萜类吲哚生物碱,但只有少数(约12种)通过薄层色谱(TLC)、高效液相色谱(HPLC)等方法进行分析。其中,长春新碱、长春碱、长春里宁、蛇纹石及其异构体已通过电喷雾质谱(ESI)、HPLC/DAD/ESI-MS/MS鉴定分析。
From the extract of Catharanthus roseus tissue cultures 16 different indole alkaloids have been isolated belonging to heteroyohimbane, aspidosperma and iboga types. The structures were deduced by UV, NMR and mass spectrometry.
Ajmalicine (1) and catharanthine (16) were found to be the major constituents, tetra-hydroalstonine (2), akuammigine (3), 3-isoajmalicine (4), pleiocarpamine (6), akuammiline (6), tabersonine (7), 20-hydroxytabersonine (8), lochnericine (9), horhammericine (10), minovincinine (11), vindolinine (12), 20-epivindolinine (13), vindolinine -Nb-oxide (14) and 20-epivindolinine-Nb-oxide (15) could be determined as minor or trace alkaloids.