Picrasma quassioides

Picrasma quassioides  is a fine source of alkaloids, terpenoids and quassinoids.

This sub-shrub is a member of the  Simaroubaceae family. 

Most of the bioactives are alkaloids. These alkaloids can be divided into the following classes: β-carbolines, canthinones and alkaloid dimers (Qian-Wen et al., 2022).

The various bioactive molecules have numerous pharmacological benefits, such as anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and anti-viral effects, on the cardiovascular system. The stems are one of the main sources of these compounds. Quassidine A was the first reported bis-β-carboline alkaloid possessing a novel cyclobutane unit ( Jiao et al., 2010) which makes it highly unusual.

References

Jiao W. H., Gao H., Li C. Y., Jiang R. W., Wang Y., Zhou G. X., Yao, X. S., (2010) J. Nat. Prod., 73, pp. 167—171

Jiao, W. H., Gao, H., Zhao, F., Lin, H. W., Pan, Y. M., Zhou, G. X., & Yao, X. S. (2011). Anti-inflammatory Alkaloids from the Stems of Picrasma quassioides B ENNET. Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 59(3), pp. 359-364.

Qian-Wen, C., Xiao, Y., Xiao-Qian, L., Yao-Hua, L., Wei-Hong, F., Chun, L., & Zhi-Min, W. (2022). Alkaloids from Picrasma quassioides: An overview of their NMR data, biosynthetic pathways and pharmacological effects. Phytochemistry, 193, 112987