16-Hydroxytabersonine is a terpene indole alkaloid produced by the plant ''

Catharanthus roseus ''Catharanthus roseus'', commonly known as bright eyes, Cape periwinkle, graveyard plant, Madagascar periwinkle, old maid, pink periwinkle, rose periwinkle, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is native and endemic to M ...

''. The metabolite is an intermediate in the formation of

vindoline Vindoline is a chemical precursor to vinblastine. Vindoline is formed through biosynthesis from Tabersonine Tabersonine is a terpene indole alkaloid found in the medicinal plant ''Catharanthus roseus'' and also in the genus Voacanga (both taxa b ...

, a precursor needed for formation of the pharmaceutically valuable

vinblastine Vinblastine (VBL), sold under the brand name Velban among others, is a chemotherapy medication, typically used with other medications, to treat a number of types of cancer. This includes Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-small cell lung cancer, bladder ca ...

and

vincristine Vincristine, also known as leurocristine and marketed under the brand name Oncovin among others, is a chemotherapy medication used to treat a number of types of cancer. This includes acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, Hodgkin's ...

. 16-hydroxytabersonine is formed from the hydroxylation of

tabersonine Tabersonine is a terpene indole alkaloid found in the medicinal plant ''Catharanthus roseus'' and also in the genus Voacanga (both taxa belonging to the alkaloid-rich family Apocynaceae). Tabersonine is hydroxylated at the 16 position by the enzy ...

by tabersonine 16-hydroxylase (T16H). Tabersonine 16-''O''-methyltransferase (16OMT) methylates the hydroxylated 16 position to form 16-methoxytabersonine.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hydroxytabersonine, 16- Indole alkaloids