Isoquinoline alkaloids of Tunisian medicinal plants- pharmacognostic and therapeutic perspectives

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. Isoquinoline alkaloids are a structurally diverse class of natural compounds known for their wide range of pharmacological properties, including antimicrobial, analgesic, antispasmodic, and anticancer activities. Tunisia’s rich floristic diversity includes various endemic and native species that are underexplored as potential sources of these bioactive compounds. THE AIM OF STUDY. This study aimed to investigate Tunisian medicinal plants that contain isoquinoline alkaloids and to assess their potential as phytodrugs through pharmacognostic, phytochemical, and pharmacological evaluations. MATERIAL AND METHODS. Comprehensive ethnobotanical studies and scientific publications, such as PubMed, Google Scholar and Scopus, were used as materials to identify candidate isoquinoline alkaloid candidate plants from the Tunisian flora. RESULTS. For identified species, such as: Fumaria officinalis, Argemone mexicana and Glaucium flavum, the plant products (Fumariae herba, Argemone mexicanae herba, Glauci flavi herba) are recommended to be harvested during the period of maximum vegetative growth, and the extraction of alkaloids - to be carried out with acidified ethanol. The extracts are recommended to be analyzed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for alkaloid profiling. Phytochemical analysis by HPLC, in which berberine, protopine, sanguinarine, glaucine and chelerythrine were used as reference substances, confirmed the presence of significant amounts of isoquinoline alkaloids: with a predominant berberine content of up to 2.8% in Fumariae herba,, up to 1.9% sanguinarine in Argemone mexicanae herba and 2% glaucine, the main alkaloid of Glauci flavi herba, in the dried extracts. The standardized extracts showed potent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and moderate cytotoxic activity on MCF7 cell lines. CONCLUSIONS.Tunisian medicinal plants containing isoquinoline alkaloids are promising candidates for phytopharmaceutical development. Their pharmacological properties support their traditional uses and justify further in vivo and toxicological investigations.