Anti-HIV-1 and cytotoxicity of the alkaloids of Erythrina abyssinica Lam. growing in Sudan

Erythrina abyssinica Lam. is an important medicinal plant growing in Sudan; its seeds were investigated for the first time for their alkaloidal constituents and biological activity. The in vitro cytotoxicity of the crude alkaloidal fraction (CAF) against the cell lines HeLa, Hep-G2, HEP-2, HCT116, MCF-7 and HFB4 showed promising activity, with IC50 values of 13.8, 10.1, 8.16, 13.9, 11.4 and 12.2 mu g mL(-1), respectively. Doxorubicin (positive control) showed in vitro cytotoxic activity with IC50 values 3.64, 4.57, 4.89, 3.74, 2.97 and 3.96 mg mL(-1), respectively. Bioassay-guided fractionation and isolation of the CAF led to the isolation of five Erythrina alkaloids, identified as erythraline, erysodine, erysotrine, 8-oxoerythraline and 11-methoxyerysodine. These were evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic activity against Hep-G2 which resulted in IC50 values 17.60, 11.80, 15.80, 3.89 and 11.40 mu g mL(-1), respectively. Furthermore, in vitro cytotoxic activity against HEP-2 was evaluated, which resulted in IC50 values 15.90, 19.90, 21.60, 18.50 and 11.50 mu g mL(-1), respectively. The CAF caused a reduction in the viability of mock-infected MT-4 cells with a CC50 of 53 mu M and a 50% protection of MT-4 cells against HIV-1 induced cytopathogeneticy with a EC50 of 453 mu M, compared with EFV as a positive control, which had a CC50 of 45 mM and an EC50 of 0.003 mu M. We concluded that the isolated alkaloids were responsible for the carcinogenic actions of the plant extract previously reported in the literature.