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Molecules 2011, 16, 3001-3009; doi:10.3390/molecules16043001
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molecules
ISSN 1420-3049 www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules Article

Alkaloidal Variation in Cissampelos Capensis (Menispermaceae)
Helene de Wet 1,*, Fanie R. van Heerden 2 and Ben-Erik van Wyk 3
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Department of Botany, University of Zululand, P/Bag X1001, Kwa-Dlangezwa 3880, South Africa School of Chemistry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P/Bag X01, Scottsville 3209, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa Department of Botany and Plant Biotechnology, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box524, Auckland Park 2006, Johannesburg, South Africa

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [e-mail]; Tel.: [phone]; Fax: [phone]. Received: 7 March 2011; in revised form: 31 March 2011 / Accepted: 1 April 2011 / Published: 7 April 2011

Abstract: Cissampelos capensis, commonly known by the Afrikaans name “dawidjies” or “dawidjieswortel”, is the most important and best known medicinal plant of the family Menispermaceae used by the Khoisan and other rural people in the western region of South Africa. The main alkaloids in the leaves, stems and rhizomes were isolated and identified. Several of the main compounds were previously found in species of the related genus Antizoma and this similarity indicates that the two genera are closely related if not congeneric. Bulbocapnine (an aporphine alkaloid), dicentrine (an aporphine alkaloid) and salutaridine (a morphinane alkaloid) were the main alkaloids in the leaves, while bulbocapnine, cissacapine, cycleanine and insularine (the last three are bisbenzyltetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids) are the major compounds in the stems. The rhizome contains mostly bisbenzyltetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids, with 12-O-methylcurine, cissacapine and cycleanine as the main ones. Alkaloids appear to be quite variable within different plant parts and different provenances, as confirmed by the difference in alkaloid patterns