Identification of the alkaloids of stenomesson aurantiacum (Kunth) herb an amaryllidaceae species from the ecuadorian andes

The plant family Amaryllidaceae presents a group of isoquinoline type alkaloids that have been subject of active research for almost 200 years and many of these compounds have been studied for diverse biomedical activities. This study has been focused on the analysis of Stenomesson aurantiacum from the Ecuadorian Andes, being one of the first studies of an Amaryllidaceae from Ecuador, where 33 Amaryllidaceae species have been described. The plant S. aurantiacum was collected in March 2013 from Cuicococha (Imbabura). The purified alkaloid extracts, of the different organs, were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In total, 22 different Amaryllidaceae alkaloids were identified, with haemanthamine as the most abundant, found in concentrations above 15% of the Total Ion Current (TIC) in all the organs, but higher in leaves. The next major alkaloids were tazettine in leaves, stem and flowers; and lycorine in bulb. This is an important finding, as previous, in vitro studies have shown that haemanthamine, lycorine and tazetine have antineoplastic and antiparasitic properties. We consider S. aurantiacum extracts could be useful in medical studies as these compounds may be effective treating tropical diseases such as Chagas or Malaria, as well as world-wide diseases such as cancer. © 2015, SILAE (Italo-Latin American Society of Ethnomedicine). All rights reserved.