Preclinical and Clinical Studies with Galanthamine

Galanthamine (1,2,3,4,6,7,7a,11c-Octahydro-9-2-methoxy-2-methylben-zofuro[4,3,2-efg][2]benzazocin-6-ol), mol wt 287.35, pKa 8.32, is a tertiary amine alkaloid, that has been isolated from plants of the amaryllidaceae family (Proskurnina et al., 1952; Uyeo et al., 1953). The chemical structure of these alkaloids resembles codeine and weak analgesic effects have been described in animals in vivo (Cozanitis et al., 1983). It penetrates the blood-brain-barrier (Wislicki, 1967; Bickel et al., 1991).