Title:Colchicine Semisynthetics: Chemotherapeutics for Cancer?
VOLUME: 20 ISSUE: 7
Author(s):G. Sivakumar
Affiliation:Arkansas Biosciences Institute and College of Agriculture and Technology, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA.
Keywords:Bioreactor, cancer, colchicine, thiocolchicine dimers, Gloriosa superba, Colchicine Semisynthetics, Chemotherapeutics, bioactive alkaloids, plant origin, antimitotic alkaloids
Abstract:Nitrogen-containing bioactive alkaloids of plant origin play a significant role in human health and medicine. Several semisynthetic
antimitotic alkaloids are successful in anticancer drug development. Gloriosa superba biosynthesizes substantial quantities of colchicine,
a bioactive molecule for gout treatment. Colchicine also has antimitotic activity, preventing growth of cancer cells by interacting
with microtubules, which could lead to the design of better cancer therapeutics. Further, several colchicine semisynthetics are less toxic
than colchicine. Research is being conducted on effective, less toxic colchicine semisynthetic formulations with potential drug delivery
strategies directly targeting multiple solid cancers. This article reviews the dynamic state of anticancer drug development from colchicine
semisynthetics and natural colchicine production and briefly discusses colchicine biosynthesis.
