Cepharanthine

Cepharanthine is an alkaloid extracted from the plant Stephania cepharantha Hayata. It shows antimalarial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor activities. The IC₅₀ values against different strains of Plasmodium falciparum range beween 0.927 μM and 3.06 μM. It (10 μM) causes cell cycle arrest at G(1) phase, induces apoptosis and decreases the expression of STAT3 in SaOS2 Human osteosarcoma cells. It (20 mg/kg/day, ip for 19 days) significantly reduces the volume and weight of the tumor in nude mouse xenografts of SaOS2 cells. It reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in RAW264.7 cells and mouse models. It inhibits the HIV-1 entry process by reducing plasma membrane fluidity. It inhibits the cytopathic effect in 2019-nCoV-related coronaviruses (2019-nCoVr) infected cells.