Disease relevance of Norcoclaurine

• Furthermore, due to positive inotropic action, higenamine may be more effective in a condition where myocardial contractility is likely to depress, such as in septic shock and/or endotoxin-induced inflammatory disorders [1].
• The effects of the Chinese herbal medicine higenamine on left ventricular function were studied by means of an external radiation detector in 15 patients with heart disease [2].
• The anti-thrombotic effects of higenamine were also observed in both mouse acute thrombosis model and rat arterio-venous shunt (AV-shunt) models [3].
• Acute toxicity of higenamine in mice [4].
• The above results are suggestive that higenamine has therapeutic potential for DIC and/or accompanying multiple organ failure (MOF) [5].

High impact information on Norcoclaurine

• Taken together, these data strongly suggest that higenamine inhibits iNOS expression by inhibiting nuclear factor kappaB activation by LPS + IFN-gamma, which may be beneficial in inflammatory diseases in which enhanced formation of NO is the main causative factor [1].
• These results document the pharmacologic effect of the Chinese herbal medicine, higenamine, on heart function [2].
• Measurement of effects of the Chinese herbal medicine higenamine on left ventricular function using a cardiac probe [2].
• The effects of higenamine on LPS-induced experimental disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in rats [5].
• The increase in serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were also significantly prevented with higenamine [5].

Biological context of Norcoclaurine

• The IC50 value of higenamine was 18.2 microM [6].
• Effects of higenamine on regulation of ion transport in guinea pig distal colon [7].
• On the other hand, higenamine concentration dependently increased both heart rate and isometric tension, as well as cyclic AMP levels in atrial tissues as a result of beta-receptor activation [8].
• Effect of higenamine on action potential of ventricular myocardial cells [9].
• Pharmacokinetics of higenamine in rabbits [10].

Anatomical context of Norcoclaurine

• Higenamine at 20 microM lowered the intracellular Ca2+ concentration by 33.1% inhibition relative to control in PC12 cells [6].
• The present data also demonstrate that the higenamine-induced aortic relaxation was attenuated in the absence of endothelium [11].
• Effects of higenamine on Na+, K+ and Cl- transport were studied on stripped guinea pig distal colonic mucosa in vitro using Ussing chambers [7].
• The effects of higenamine, a tetrahydroisoquinoline compound, on induction of NOS by bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were examined in murine peritoneal macrophages [12].
• Effect of acute higenamine administration on bradyarrhythmias and HIS bundle. A clinical study of 14 cases and animal experiment on dogs [13].

Associations of Norcoclaurine with other chemical compounds

• Purification and characterization of S-adenosyl-L-methionine: norcoclaurine 6-O-methyltransferase from cultured Coptis japonica cells [14].
• This result and the incorporation of ( S)-[1- (13)C] norcoclaurine into berberine demonstrates that the biosynthesis of protoberberine alkaloids in COPTIS involves the norcoclaurine but not the norlaudanosoline pathway [15].
• These results suggest that the inhibition of tyrosine hydroxylase activity by higenamine might partially contribute to the decrease in dopamine content in PC12 cells [6].
• The counter effects of higenamine and coryneine, components of aconite root, on acetylcholine (ACh) release from motor nerve terminals in the mouse phrenic nerve-diaphragm muscle preparation were studied by a radioisotope method [16].

Gene context of Norcoclaurine

• Higenamine reduces apoptotic cell death by induction of heme oxygenase-1 in rat myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury [17].
• In this condition, tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme of catecholamine biosynthesis, was also inhibited by the treatment of higenamine in PC12 cells (21.9% inhibition at 20 microM) [6].
• Purified norcoclaurine 6-O-methyltransferase had apparent pI 4.7, a native molecular mass of 95 kDa (determined by gel filtration) and subunit molecular mass of 40 kDa (SDS/PAGE) [14].
• These results indicate that higenamine is a beta 1-adrenoceptor full agonist in murine atria and that the aconitine-induced tachyarrhythmia is augmented by the beta 1-adrenergic action of higenamine [18].
• All three forms of higenamine inhibited iNOS expression and reduced NO production with IC50 of 26.2, 86.3, and 53.4 microM, for (S)-, (R)-, and (RS)-higenamine, respectively [19].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Norcoclaurine

• Molecular cloning and characterization of norcoclaurine synthase, an enzyme catalyzing the first committed step in benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis [20].
• Finally, higenamine inhibited the activation of nuclear factor kappaB in RAW 264.7 cells due to LPS + IFN-gamma by mobility shift assays [1].
• The oral administration of higenamine (50 or 100 mg/kg) increased the recovery rates from the acute thrombotic challenge in mice and lowered the weight of thrombus formed inside the AV-shunt tube in rats [3].
• Determination of higenamine in plasma and urine by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection [21].
• A method for the determination of higenamine in plasma and urine based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection was developed [21].

References