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Amaryllidaceae is a significant source of bioactive phytochemicals with a strong propensity to develop new drugs. The genera Allium, Tulbaghia, Cyrtanthus and Crinum biosynthesize novel alkaloids and other phytochemicals with traditional and pharmacological uses. Amaryllidaceae biomolecules exhibit multiple pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory effects. Traditionally, natural products from Amaryllidaceae are utilized to treat non-communicable and infectious human diseases. Galanthamine, a drug from this family, is clinically relevant in treating the neurocognitive disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, which underscores the importance of the Amaryllidaceae alkaloids. Although Amaryllidaceae provide a plethora of biologically active compounds, there is tardiness in their development into clinically pliable medicines. Other genera, including Cyrtanthus and Tulbaghia, have received little attention as potential sources of promising drug candidates. Given the reciprocal relationship of the increasing burden of human diseases and limited availability of medicinal therapies, more rapid drug discovery and development are desirable. To expedite clinically relevant drug development, we present here evidence on bioactive compounds from the genera Allium, Tulgbaghia, Cyrtanthus and Crinum and describe their traditional and pharmacological applications.

Oleanolic acid is a pentacyclic triterpenoid compound widely found in plants and well known for its medicinal properties. Oleanolic acid (OA) was isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of Syzygium aromaticum flower buds. Semisynthesis afforded both acetate and ester derivatives. The derived compounds were monitored with thin layer chromatography and confirmed with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, mass spectrometry (MS), Fourier infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and melting point (Mp). All these compounds were evaluated for their analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties at a dose of 40 mg/kg. Significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects were noted for all OA-derived compounds. In the formalin-induced pain test, the derivatives showed better analgesic effects compared to their precursor, whereas, in the tale flick test, oleanolic acid proved to be superior in analgesic effects compared to all its derivatives with the exception of the acetyl derivative. Acute inflammatory tests showed that acetyl derivatives possessed better anti-inflammatory activity compared to the other compounds. In conclusion, semisynthesis of oleanolic acid yielded several derivatives with improved solubility and enhanced analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.