Mitraphylline
Encyclopedia
Mitraphylline, an oxindole
Oxindole
Oxindole is an aromatic heterocyclic organic compound. It has a bicyclic structure, consisting of a six-membered benzene ring fused to a five-membered nitrogen-containing ring...

 derivative, is an active alkaloid
Alkaloid
Alkaloids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds that contain mostly basic nitrogen atoms. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Also some synthetic compounds of similar structure are attributed to alkaloids...

 in the leaves of the trees Mitragyna Speciosa, commonly known as Kratom
Kratom
Kratom , Mitragyna speciosa, is a medicinal leaf harvested from a large tree in the Rubiaceae family native to Southeast Asia in the Indochina and Malesia floristic regions. The plant has been traditionally used for its medicinal properties.It was first formally documented by the Dutch colonial...

. As a non-narcotic constituent, it also occurs to a significant amount in the bark of Uncaria tomentosa
Uncaria tomentosa
Uncaria tomentosa is a woody vine found in the tropical jungles of South and Central America, which derives its name from its claw-shaped thorns...

, Cat’s Claw, along with a number of isomeric alkaloids. Due to its structural similarity to Mitragynine
Mitragynine
Mitragynine, an indole alkaloid, is the most abundant active alkaloid in the plant Mitragyna speciosa, commonly known as Kratom.-Pharmacology:...

 and 7-Hydroxymitragynine
7-Hydroxymitragynine
7-Hydroxymitragynine , an indole, is an active alkaloid in the plant Mitragyna speciosa, commonly known as Kratom. It has opioid agonistic activity. "The potency, calculated using pD values, was 30- and 17-fold higher than that of mitragynine and morphine, respectively...

 from Kratom
Kratom
Kratom , Mitragyna speciosa, is a medicinal leaf harvested from a large tree in the Rubiaceae family native to Southeast Asia in the Indochina and Malesia floristic regions. The plant has been traditionally used for its medicinal properties.It was first formally documented by the Dutch colonial...

, effects on mu and Delta opiate receptors as well as NMDA-antagonistic actions have been postulated.

Current research is focussing on antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects and its in-vivo efficacy to induce apoptosis
Apoptosis
Apoptosis is the process of programmed cell death that may occur in multicellular organisms. Biochemical events lead to characteristic cell changes and death. These changes include blebbing, cell shrinkage, nuclear fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and chromosomal DNA fragmentation...

 in human breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...

, sarcoma
Sarcoma
A sarcoma is a cancer that arises from transformed cells in one of a number of tissues that develop from embryonic mesoderm. Thus, sarcomas include tumors of bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, vascular, and hematopoietic tissues...

as well as lymphoblastic leukaemia cell lines.
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