Dauricine

DescriptionDauricine is a kind of phenolic aromatic compound which is isolated from Menispermaceae plants such as Asian Menispermum dauricum or Canadian Menispermum dauricum and can be classified as isoquinoline alkaloids. Rhizoma Menispermi is the dry rhizome of Menispermaceae plant Menispermum dauricum. Menispermum dauricum mainly distributes in the northern part of East Asia and is mainly distributed in the north, east and northeast regions of China. The usage of Rhizoma Menispermi as a kind of traditional Chinese medicine was firstly recorded in Kaibao Herbs with its function of detoxifying many drugs, relieving pains, reducing swelling and sore, curing fever and cough, and killing parasites. According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Rhizoma Menispermi in the north of China is different from the herbs used in the south of China known as the same name. Based on the traditional Chinese Medicine theory, Rhizoma Menispermi has the feature of bitterness and coldness, with the meridian tropism in the lung, stomach, and intestine. The main effects of Rhizoma Menispermi are heat-clearing, detoxicating, wind-dispelling and pain-relieving according to its vital function lies in the therapy of swollen sore throat, enteritis diarrhea and rheumatic arthralgia. Alkaloid is the main chemical component of Rhizoma Menispermi, and besides dauricine, there are also other kinds of alkaloids such as dauriciline, O-methyldauricine, and daurisoline in it.

HistoryMenispermum dauricum has been long used as a traditional Chinese medicine, but the research of its effective components has been slow. Dauricine was firstly separated and structure-confirmed by Fukuda Mayo using alumina column chromatography separation assay in 1964. At the same year, dauricine was first synthesized by two Japanese scientists, Tetsuji Tamayama and Rtani Rikazu, by means of Arndt-Eistert reaction and Bischler-Napieralski reaction. Thereafter, lots of scientists from various countries successively separated daurinoline, Menispermum Xinlin alkali, Menispermum succinylcholine alkali, chelilanthifoline, stepholidine, and many other monomeric components of Menispermum dauricum. The study of dauricine in China started from the Cultural Revolution Period. Under the guidance of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, a large number of effective components in traditional Chinese herbs were extracted, separated and applied to clinic. Dauricine was firstly reported on the mainland as an active ingredient in herbs which can clear away heat and toxic materials. Moreover, dauricine was also used as an antineoplastic and muscle relaxant. There were many medicines whose principal component was dauricine had been under clinical research for its role of cardiovascular protection since the 1980s, most of these medicines were stagnating in phase II clinical trials.

UsesDauricine is a bisbenzylisoquinoline allkaloid derivative that displays a noted number of pharmaceutical properties. It is known to induces severe lung toxicity in animals.