Alkaloid profile of leaves of horticultural cultivar of Catharanthus roseus

Catharanthus roseus (Vinca rosea, periwinkle) has been extensively studied for its alkaloid content and their biological effects. Two types of amino ester indole alkaloids have been isolated and chemically characterized. Among over forty alkaloids reported are monomeric indole alkaloids (ajmaline, catharanthine, vindoline and several others) and bisindole triterpenoid alkaloids (catharine, vinblastine, vincristine and others). Structures of some 18 alkaloids remain unknown. Besides these, possible occurrence of amino acids corresponding to amino esters needs to be investigated. Vinblastine and vincristine alkaloids are widely used in current clinical cancer chemotherapy as well as semi-synthetic compounds vindesine and vinorelbine, which are related to the natural antineoplastic alkaloids. It is well known that the composition and content of alkaloids and other plant constituents vary depending on factors such as soil, season and time of harvesting and variety of specific plant species. The annual horticulture periwinkle is extensively cultivated as an ornamental plant throughout the world. In this study we have fractionated the aqueous acidic extract of periwinkle leaves collected from the campus of University of Illinois, Chicago and provided to us by Professor Norman Fransworth. LC-MS investigation has revealed compounds corresponding to monomeric alkaloids, catharanthine, vindoline, vindolinine, 19 S -vindolinine, and vindolidine. However, occurrence of none of the bisindole alkaloids was revealed.