Isolation of further alkaloids from Galanthus cilicicus

Galanthus L. species are among the most important native flower bulbs exported from Turkey, therefore they have an economical importance. They are known to possess Amaryllidaceae alkaloids with interesting chemical structures and biological activities. Among these alkaloids, galanthamine is used for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease [1]. Galanthus cilicicus Baker, an endemic species among Turkish Galanthus taxa, is distributed in southern Turkey mainly in the province of Içel [2]. In the course of our ongoing phytochemical studies on Turkish Galanthus species, previously, we have reported the alkaloidal profile of G. cilicicus by GC-MS and the major alkaloids found in this species [3]. In the present study, two minor alkaloids were isolated from G. cilicicus. fractionation of the crude alkaloidal extract, using column chromatography and then further fractionation and purification procedures including preparative column and thin layer chromatography yielded two known phenanthridine-type Amaryllidaceae alkaloids, namely norismine and N-methylcrinasiadine. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by means of spectroscopic methods (1D NMR, and MS). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the occurrence of norismine and N-methylcrinasiadine, in the genus Galanthus. The phytochemical studies carried on this endemic species revealed that it is a promising source for alkaloids with interesting structural diversities.

This study was financially supported by Ege University, Research Fund (16/ECZ/032).

[1] Heinrich M, Teoh, HL. J Ethnopharm 2004; 92:147 – 162.

[2] Davis AP. The Genus Galanthus-Snowdrops in the Wild, In: Bishop M, Davis AP, Grimshaw J. (Eds.) Snowdrops, A Monograph of Cultivated Galanthus. Cheltenham: Griffin Press Publishing Ltd. 2006: 9 – 63.

[3] Kaya GI, Uzun K, Bozkurt B, OnurMA, Somer NU, Glatzel DK, Fürst R. South African Journal of Botany 2017; 108: 256 – 260.