The Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of <i>Tulbaghia</i>, <i>Allium</i>, <i>Crinum</i> and <i>Cyrtanthus</i>: ‘Talented’ Taxa from the Amaryllidaceae
Cynthia Amaning Danquah,
Prince Amankwah Baffour Minkah,
Theresa A. Agana,
Phanankosi Moyo,
Michael Ofori,
Peace Doe,
Sibusiso Rali,
Isaiah Osei Duah Junior,
Kofi Bonsu Amankwah,
Samuel Owusu Somuah,
Isaac Newton Nugbemado,
Vinesh J. Maharaj,
Sanjib Bhakta,
Simon Gibbons
Affiliations
Cynthia Amaning Danquah
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, PMB, Kumasi, Ghana
Prince Amankwah Baffour Minkah
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, PMB, Kumasi, Ghana
Theresa A. Agana
Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, PMB, Kumasi, Ghana
Phanankosi Moyo
Department of Chemistry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
Michael Ofori
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, PMB, Kumasi, Ghana
Peace Doe
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Central University, Accra, Ghana
Sibusiso Rali
Department of Chemistry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
Isaiah Osei Duah Junior
Department of Optometry and Visual Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, PMB, Kumasi, Ghana
Kofi Bonsu Amankwah
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
Samuel Owusu Somuah
Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana
Isaac Newton Nugbemado
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, PMB, Kumasi, Ghana
Vinesh J. Maharaj
Department of Chemistry, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
Sanjib Bhakta
Department of Biological Sciences, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK
Simon Gibbons
The Centre for Natural Products Discovery (CNPD), Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
Amaryllidaceae is a significant source of bioactive phytochemicals with a strong propensity to develop new drugs. The genera Allium, Tulbaghia, Cyrtanthus and Crinum biosynthesize novel alkaloids and other phytochemicals with traditional and pharmacological uses. Amaryllidaceae biomolecules exhibit multiple pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory effects. Traditionally, natural products from Amaryllidaceae are utilized to treat non-communicable and infectious human diseases. Galanthamine, a drug from this family, is clinically relevant in treating the neurocognitive disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, which underscores the importance of the Amaryllidaceae alkaloids. Although Amaryllidaceae provide a plethora of biologically active compounds, there is tardiness in their development into clinically pliable medicines. Other genera, including Cyrtanthus and Tulbaghia, have received little attention as potential sources of promising drug candidates. Given the reciprocal relationship of the increasing burden of human diseases and limited availability of medicinal therapies, more rapid drug discovery and development are desirable. To expedite clinically relevant drug development, we present here evidence on bioactive compounds from the genera Allium, Tulgbaghia, Cyrtanthus and Crinum and describe their traditional and pharmacological applications.
