User:Jshepeck/Michellamine

Michellamine is an atropisomeric alkaloid which has been found as a strong anti-HIV enzyme. It was discovered in the leaves of the Ancistrocladus korupensis which is a member of the Triphyophyllum peltatum found in Cameroon. There are 3 michellamines represented as A, B, and C, however, Michellamine B is the most active against the NID-DZ strain of HIV-2.

Occurance
Michellamine A and B alkaloids are found to naturally occur in the leaves of the Ancistrocladus korupensis which is a member of the Triphyophyllum peltatum found in Cameroon. Bioactive chemical substances including alkaloids, tannins, and saponin are found in several plants in their roots, leaves, stems, flowers, or bark. Therapeutic chemicals have been found in various plants to treat diseases such as malaria, diabetes, and cancers.

Synthesis
There are 2 methods explored to synthesize Michellamines A and B. The first one, originally synthesized in 1994, is a retrosynthesis that leads to a biomimetic pathway that uses the construction of naphthalene/isoquinoline bonds before the naphthalene/naphthalene axis. The second method, originally synthesized only a few montes after the first method, is a complementary pathway that would use the naphthalene/naphthalene axis after it is created and add the 2 isoquinoline moieties.

Medical Use
The main use of Michellamines are in anti-HIV medications. It is found to inhibit viral replication of the Protein kinase C and virus-induced cellular fusion. It has a broad range of effectiveness across most HIV strains and especially in the strain HIV-2, which is found primarily in and around Cameroon.