Ukrain Antineoplastic Immunomostimulant

E09/029
NSC-631570
NSC-B238865
UKSR-222
W122

J.W. Nowicky. Ukranian Anti-Cancer Inst.. Margarettenstrasse 7. A-1040 Vienna, Auslria.

N,N',N''-Tris[2-[[5bS(5bα,6β,12bα)]-6-hydroxy-13-methyl-5b,6,7,12b,13,14-hexahydro[1,3]benzodioxolo[5,6-c][1,3]dioxolo[4,5-i]phenanthridinio-13-yl]ethyl]thiophosphoricacid triamide trihydroxide hexahydrochloride 5,5'.5''-[Phosphinothioylidyne-tris(imino-2.l-ethanediyl)]trist[5-metliylchelidoninium]trihydroxide hexahydrochloride

Introduction

Alkaloids are known to be among the most potent compounds found in nature with respect to biological activity in other organisms. Only some bacterial toxins may exert stronger activity with respect to the quantity administered.

Preparations from the plant Chelidonium majus L. have been known for more than 3500 years and were used in folk medicine; it was known that the extract of this plant may cure malignant superficial lesions (2). Three chemically different main groups of alkaloids could be extracted from the plant, bases which were subjected to derivatizations (3).

Among these compounds. Ukrain was found to have some outstanding properties concerning biological activity with simultaneous low toxicity. Ukrain exerts direct cytotoxic activity only against malignant cells (4), mediates cytotoxic activity (malignotoxicity) (5-7), is immunostimulating and immunomodulating (8, 9), and shows antiviral activity (10, 11).