Securinine is derived from the leaf of Securinega suffruticosa Rehd., which was first
separated by V.I.?Murav’eva in 1956 . Securinega suffruticosa Rehd., a kind of
subshrub plant, is widely distributed in temperate and subtropical regions . It has
strong adaptability and can be planted in most parts of China. Moreover, it is rich in
natural resources. Securinega suffruticosa Rehd. is a folk medicine whose root is the
main component, with the effects of activating circulation, spleen, and stomach to
treat rheumatism waist pain, limb numbness, infant malnutrition, and other diseases. The roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and skin of Securinega suffruticosa Rehd.
contain alkaloids, in which securinine is the main ingredient.
YELLOW-BROWN OILY LIQUID AFTER MELTING
Appearance: yellow crystalline powder, slightly bitter. Solubility: soluble in anhydrous ethanol or chloroform, insoluble in water. Melting point: 139–140?°C Specific
optical rotation: (D) ?1042°(C?=?1, EtOH).
Securinine was first isolated by a Soviet scholar from the Wusuli region, but its
chemical structure was separated and finally determined by Chinese scholars
from local sources . The main structural feature is a tetracyclic compound containing an indolizine, pyrrole elidine, or quinolizine ring and an α, β-unsaturated
pentahydrin ring whose basic structural skeleton type is as shown in what follows .
Owing to the complexity of the chemical reaction of securinine, reports on its
chemical reactivity and structural modification have been relatively scarce since
securinine was reported on in 1956. However, the research on chemical total synthesis and biological activities of securinine has made a certain amount of progress.
Securinine has a rigid molecular structure containing four rings and three chiral
centers, which makes synthesis difficult. From 1974 to 1978, three research groups
from Japan, the USA, and Canada studied the biosynthesis of securinine by feeding
animals with isotope-labeled S. suffruticosa.
This compound is a sensitizer.
3,4-Dinitrochlorobenzene is a useful reactant in organic synthesis.
Poliomyelitis sequela and facial paralysis, neurasthenia, hypotension, autonomic
dysfunction, and others
The pharmacological effect of securinine is mainly manifested as a central nervous
system excitatory effect. As a GABA receptor inhibitor, it has an excitatory effect
similar to that of strychnine on the spinal cord. A low dose of securinine can improve
the excitability of brain reflection, while a high dose of securinine will cause febrile
seizures, and at the same time securinine can strengthen the conditioned reflex of
the cerebral cortex, shorten the latency period, and promote learning and memory
capability , and so it is expected to be a promising drug for the treatment of
Alzheimer’s disease.，
Securinine can improve the hematopoietic environment of patients with aplastic anemia, promote cell proliferation, have a synergistic anti-tumor effect in combination with cyclophosphamide (CTX), and can antagonize bone marrow
suppression caused by CTX.?It has an inhibitory effect on cell proliferation of
human leukocyte cell K562 and four other kinds of tumor cells.
In recent years, securinine has been widely used in clinical practice, mainly for
the treatment of polio sequelae and facial nerve palsy. It also has a certain effect
on neurasthenia, hypotension and dizziness, tinnitus, and deafness caused by
autonomic dysfunction. The nitrate and hydrochloride of left-handed securinine
are mainly used clinically. In addition, securinine eye drops are found to have a
remarkable effect on the treatment of herpes simplex keratitis through initial clinical observation.
