Lycorine in Medicine

The pharmacology of lycorine

The phenanthridine alkaloid lycorine is known for its crucial role in animal and human poisoning with plants of the genus amaryllidaceae, but has several other biological activities including antiviral and anti-tumoreffects. These are not well understood and not yet used in medicine. Therefore, we study the potential pharmacological targets in vitro and the biological fate of lycorine in animals as essential prerequisites for understanding the biological effects in animals and its potential medical use in humans.