title: The effects of biscoclaurine alkaloid cepharanthine on mammalian cells: implications for cancer, shock, and inflammatory diseases.
abstract: The extract of Stephania cepharantha Hayata contains biscoclaurine alkaloids such as cepharanthine, which have been used widely in Japan for the treatment of patients with radiation-induced leukopenia, alopecia areata, exudative otitis media, and venomous snakebites. Many investigations have proven that the alkaloid cepharanthine exerts diverse pharmacological effects that include membrane-stabilizing, multidrug resistance-reversing, antitumor, apoptosis-inducing, anti-inflammatory, free radical scavenging, anti-HIV-1, antiallergic and immunomodulatory effects. The purpose of our review is to describe various therapeutic approaches using cepharanthine and their potential efficacy.
authors.affiliation: Pharmaceutical Education Center, Tohoku Pharmaceutical University, 4-4-1 Komatsushima, Aoba-ku, Sendai 981-8558, Japan. furusawa@tohoku-pharm.ac.jp
authors.forename: Shinobu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Furusawa
authors.forename: Jianghong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D044182:Benzylisoquinolines / Q000737:chemistry; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D015394:Molecular Structure; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D052117:Benzodioxoles
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D044182:Benzylisoquinolines; C006947:cepharanthine; D052117:Benzodioxoles