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 po int of view of their potential carcinogenicity in anhydrous N,N-dimeth ylformamide (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 determine d in the presence of alpha-lipoic acid ranged from the highest value 0 .257 obtained for the solanidane skeleton containing rubijervine to th e value 0.070 for jervine. The tg alpha value determined for rubijervi ne (0.257) is comparable with the tg alpha of naphto-(2',1',2,3)fluora nthene (0.270)-compound classified by IARC as possible carcinogen for human. The tg alpha values determined for other alkaloids were relativ ely low and they do not indicate any possible carcinogenic activity.