Basrah - College of Pharmacy Media:

The College of Pharmacy at the University of Basrah discussed a Master's thesis titled "Isolation of β-carboline Alkaloid (Harmine) from Peganum harmala and Evaluation of Its Biological Efficacy Following Chemical Modification" presented by the student Mustafa Mohammed Lazim.

The research investigated wild Iraqi Peganum harmala collected from the Al-Zubair region in Basrah province. Phytochemical constituents of both fruits and seeds were extracted and analyzed, emphasizing β-carboline alkaloids and flavonoids. Active compounds were identified and quantified using advanced analytical techniques: (TLC, TFC, GC-MS, and HPLC).

Antimicrobial activity of fruit and seed extracts was evaluated against a panel of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Furthermore, targeted chemical modification of the alkaloid Harmine was performed at the N9 position to synthesize a novel derivative.

The study aimed to modify Harmine at the N9 position to improve its anticancer selectivity while minimizing cytotoxicity toward normal cells. The results demonstrated that wild Iraqi Peganum harmala serves as a rich source of antimicrobial bioactive compounds and yielded a novel Harmine derivative exhibiting potent antiproliferative activity against prostate cancer cells with markedly reduced toxicity to normal cells, positioning it as a promising candidate for further pharmacological development.

❧ ☙