Therapeutic potential of the biscoclaurine alkaloid,cepharanthine,for a range of clinical conditions

Cepharanthine (cep) is a naturally occurring alkaloid extracted from the plant stephania cepharantha hayata. it has been widely used in japan for more than 40 years to treat a wide variety of acute and chronic diseases. cep inhibits tumor necrosis factor (tnf)-α-mediated nfκb stimulation,plasma membrane lipid peroxidation and platelet aggregation and suppresses cytokine production. it has also been shown to scavenge free radicals and to have a protective effect against some of the responses mediated by pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tnf-α,interleukin (il)-1β and il6. cep has successfully been used to treat a diverse range of medical conditions,including radiation-induced leukopenia,idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura,alopecia areata,alopecia pityrodes,venomous snakebites,xerostomia,sarcoidosis,refractory anemia and various cancer-related conditions. no safety issues have been observed with cep,and side effects are very rarely reported. copyright © 2011 by institute of pharmacology polish academy of sciences.