Pharmacological and Therapeutic Potential of Berbamine: A Potent Alkaloid from Genus Berberis

Gulzar Muhammad; Muhammad Ajaz Hussain; Zahid Shafiq; Adnan Ashraf; Umer Shafique; Ajmal Khan; Asaad Khalid; Javid Hussain; Ahmed Al-Harrasi

doi:10.2174/0115680266289292240420062705

Pharmacological and Therapeutic Potential of Berbamine: A Potent Alkaloid from Genus Berberis

Curr Top Med Chem. 2024 Apr 29. doi: 10.2174/0115680266289292240420062705. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Gulzar Muhammad¹, Muhammad Ajaz Hussain², Zahid Shafiq^{3

4}, Adnan Ashraf⁵, Umer Shafique¹, Ajmal Khan⁶, Asaad Khalid⁷, Javid Hussain⁸, Ahmed Al-Harrasi⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Government College University Lahore, 54000, Lahore, Pakistan.
² Centre for Organic Chemistry, School of Chemistry, University of the Punjab, Lahore, 54590, Pakistan.
³ Institute of Chemical Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, 60800, Pakistan.
⁴ Department of Pharmaceutical & Medicinal Chemistry, An der Immenburg 4, D-53121, Bonn, Germany.
⁵ Department of Chemistry, University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan.
⁶ Natural and Medical Sciences Research Centre, University of Nizwa, Birkat Almouz, Oman.
⁷ Substance Abuse and Toxicology Research Center, Jazan University, P.O. Box 114, Jazan, 45142, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Department of Biological Sciences & Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman.

PMID: 38685780
DOI: 10.2174/0115680266289292240420062705

Abstract

Berbamine (Ber) is an active medicinal bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid, which is usually obtained from different plants of the genus Berberis (family Berberidaceae) and is used to cure various disorders in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic systems of medicine. Numerous in-vitro and in-vivo studies revealed the apoptotic and cytotoxic potential of Ber against different cell lines (SMMC-7721, A549, MDA-MB-231, and K562) by upregulating pro-apoptotic (Bax, p53) and downregulating anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2, survivin) proteins. Other pharmacological attributes ascribed to Ber included cardioprotective, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, antioxidant, anti-hypercholesterolemic, and anti-allergic. Moreover, the synergistic effect of Ber improved the therapeutic potential of different drugs (paclitaxel (PTL), gemcitabine, dexamethasone, doxorubicin (DOX), and celecoxib) in different models. Various attempts could fabricate biologically active derivatives of Ber, such as 4-chlorobenzoyl berbamine (CBB) and O-4- ethoxyl-butyl-berbamine (EBB). The review focuses on the medicinal applications of Ber, particularly anti-cancer, cardioprotective, and anti-inflammatory, along with the mechanism of action.

Keywords: Anti-proliferative.; Apoptosis; Berbamine; Cytotoxic; Ischemia; Myocardial infarction.