Daffodils as Potential Crops of Biologically-active Compounds: Assessment of 40 Ornamental Taxa for their Alkaloid Profile and Cholinesterases Inhibition Activity

Many varieties of Narcissus (Amaryllidaceae) are planted on a large scale for ornamental purposes and at the same time they represent a rich reservoir of potential small chemical molecules that display several medicinal properties. Of the Amaryllidaceae alkaloids, considerable attention has been given to galanthamine, which possesses acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity. Recent investigation has shown the pharmaceutical potential of other Amaryllidaceae alkaloids, such as lycorine, haemanthamine, and pancratistatine, primarily as anticancer drugs. In the current study, 40 Narcissus taxa were evaluated for their alkaloid profile by GC-MS. The aim of this work was to find the most suitable Narcissus varieties for a reliable source of galanthamine, lycorine, and haemanthamine for commercial production. Based on their mass spectra, 97 typical Amaryllidaceae alkaloids were detected of which 49 were identified. The highest concentrations of pharmaceutically-interesting Amaryllidaceae alkaloids were identified in the ornamental taxa N. cv Sundisc (galanthamine), N. cv. Jenny (lycorine), and N. cv. Sealing (haemanthamine). All alkaloidal extracts were also screened for their acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase inhibitory activities.