Evaluation of potential carcinogenicity of steroidal alkaloids from Veratrum album L. by the DC polarography method.

The presented work is devoted to the study of polarographic reduction in the series of 13 alkaloids isolated from various parts of Veratrum album subsp. lobelianum. The used compounds were evaluated from the point of view of their potential carcinogenicity in anhydrous N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) by the method of DC polarography. All compounds were reduced during an one two-electron irreversible step. Their potential carcinogenicity characterized by a parameter tg alpha value determined in the presence of alpha-lipoic acid ranged from the highest value 0.257 obtained for the solanidane skeleton containing rubijervine to the value 0.070 for jervine. The tg alpha value determined for rubijervine (0.257) is comparable with the tg alpha of naphto-(2',1',2,3)fluoranthene (0.270)-compound classified by IARC as possible carcinogen for human. The tg alpha values determined for other alkaloids were relatively low and they do not indicate any possible carcinogenic activity.