Abstract
Alkaloid extracts of eleven Narcissus (Amaryllidaceae) species and varieties were studied with respect to their acetylcholinesterase (HuAChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (HuBuChE) inhibitory activity and alkaloid patterns. Forty-two alkaloids were determined by GC/MS, and thirty of them identified from their mass spectra, retention times and retention indexes.
Promising HuAChE inhibition activity was demonstrated by nine Narcissus taxa and HuBuChE inhibition by Narcissus poeticus cv. Pink Parasol with an IC50 value of 3.3 +/- 0.5 mu g/mL.
The alkaloid identified as (11C-S)-homolycorine was isolated in pure form from Narcissus Sir W. Churchill using preparative TLC and was tested for its biological activity.
Homolycorine inhibited HuAChE and HuBuChE in a dose-dependent manner with IC50 values of 63.7 +/- 4.3 mu M and 151.0 +/- 15.2 mu M, respectively.