The Benzylisoquinoline Alkaloid Database is an attempt to gather the scattered information related to the BIA's. Many BIA's show therapeutic properties and can be considered as potent drug candidates.

Our belief is that the BIAdb can be useful to the people working with alkaloids and it can be helpful in the studies of theraupeutic efficacy of the natural alkaloids.

Alkaloids are naturally occurring chemical compounds containing basic nitrogen atoms. The name derives from the word alkaline and was used to describe any nitrogen-containing base. Alkaloids are produced by a large variety of organisms, including bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals and are part of the group of natural products (also called secondary metabolites). They often have pharmacological effects and are used as medications and recreational drugs. Examples are the local anesthetic and stimulant cocaine, the stimulant caffeine, nicotine, the analgesic morphine, or the antimalarial drug quinine.

Types of Alkaloids

• Pyridine group : piperine, coniine
• Pyrrolidine : hygrine, cuscohygrine, nicotine
• Tropane group: atropine, cocaine, ecgonine, scopolamine, catuabine
• Quinoline group: quinine, quinidine, dihydroquinine, dihydroquinidine, strychnine, brucine, veratrine, cevadine
• Isoquinoline group: opium alkaloids (papaverine, narcotine, narceine), sanguinarine, hydrastine, berberine, emetine, berbamine, oxyacanthine
• Phenanthrene alkaloids: The opium alkaloids (morphine, codeine, thebaine)
• Phenethylamine group: mescaline, ephedrine, dopamine
• Indole group:
  • Tryptamines: serotonin, DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, bufotenine, psilocybin
  • Ergolines (the ergot alkaloids): ergine, ergotamine, lysergic acid
  • Beta-carbolines: harmine, harmaline, tetrahydroharmine
  • Yohimbans: reserpine, yohimbine
  • Vinca alkaloids: vinblastine, vincristine
  • Mitragyna speciosa alkaloids: mitragynine, 7-hydroxymitragynine
  • Tabernanthe iboga alkaloids: ibogaine, voacangine, coronaridine
  • Strychnos nux-vomica alkaloids: strychnine, brucine
• Purine group:
  • Xanthines: caffeine, theobromine, theophylline
• Terpenoid group:
  • Aconite alkaloids: aconitine
  • Steroid alkaloids (containing a steroid skeleton in a nitrogen containing structure):
    • solanum (e.g. potato and tomato) alkaloids (solanidine, solanine, chaconine)
    • veratrum alkaloids (veratramine, cyclopamine, cycloposine, jervine, muldamine)
    • newt alkaloids (samandarin)
    • others conessine
• Quaternary ammonium compounds: muscarine, choline, neurine
• Miscellaneous: capsaicin, cynarin, phytolaccine, phytolaccotoxin