Ungeremine is a

betaine A betaine () in chemistry is any neutral chemical compound with a positively charged cationic functional group, such as a quaternary ammonium or phosphonium cation (generally: onium ions) that bears no hydrogen atom and with a negatively charged ...

-type

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

isolated from ''

Nerine bowdenii ''Nerine bowdenii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family (biology), family Amaryllidaceae. It is an herbaceous plant, herbaceous bulbous perennial plant, perennial, growing to tall by , with strap-shaped leaves and large umbels of lily ...

'' and related plants such as ''

Pancratium maritimum ''Pancratium maritimum'', or sea daffodil, is a species of bulbous plant native to the Canary Islands and both sides of the Mediterranean region and Black Sea from Portugal, Morocco and the Balearic Islands east to Turkey, Syria, Israel and t ...

''. Pharmacologically, it is of interest as an

acetylcholinesterase inhibitor Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) also often called cholinesterase inhibitors, inhibit the enzyme acetylcholinesterase from breaking down the neurotransmitter acetylcholine into choline and acetate, thereby increasing both the level and ...

and accordingly as possibly relevant to

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

. It also has been investigated as a

bactericide A bactericide or bacteriocide, sometimes abbreviated Bcidal, is a substance which kills bacteria. Bactericides are disinfectants, antiseptics, or antibiotics. However, material surfaces can also have bactericidal properties based solely on their ...

References

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors Quinoline alkaloids Isoquinoline alkaloids Bactericides Phenols Benzodioxoles {{alkaloid-stub