Skimmianine: Natural Occurrence, Biosynthesis, Synthesis, Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetics

Abstract

Background: For years, plant materials collected from members of the family Rutaceae have been the subject of various phytochemical and pharmacological studies. In such works, skimmianine (SM) is a secondary metabolite type furoquinoline alkaloid, which can be seen as a major component available in medicinal plants of the family Rutaceae. Although there have been numerous phytochemical and biological experiments, a brief review of this compound is insufficient.

Objective: The current review with the most aim is to provide information on its natural occurrence, structural features, biosynthesis, synthesis, pharmacological values, and pharmacokinetic action.

Methods: The list of references was gathered from the following databases: Google Scholar, Pub- Med, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Medline. In the meantime, "skimmianine" either alone, or combined "phytochemistry", "biosynthesis", "synthesis", "pharmacology", and "pharmacokinetics" was taken into consideration, to search for references.

Results: Accumulative evidence indicated that many Rutaceae plants, such as genus Zanthoxylum, were associated with the presence of alkaloid SM. Biosynthesis of organic hetero-tricyclic compound SM started from anthranilic acid, whereas its short synthetic steps were initially derived from 2,4,7,8- tetramethoxyquinoline. SM established a great role in pharmaceutical aspect since it possessed antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antiinsect, antiplatelet, antidiabetic, antiviral, cholinesterase inhibitory, analgesic, cardiovascular, and estrogenic activities, especially cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory activity. Pharmacokinetic progress of SM in rats mostly involved the changes of double bond C2-C3 and methoxy groups.

Conclusion: Pharmacological properties justify its usage in drug development. However, some aspects, such as the extensive mechanism of action, structure-activity relationship, toxicological, and clinical studies, demand more research.

Keywords: Skimmianine; biosynthesis; natural occurrence; pharmacokinetics; pharmacology; synthesis.