Progress in the studies on rutaecarpine

Abstract

Rutaecarpine is an indolopyridoquinazolinone alkaloid isolated from Evodia rutaecarpa and related herbs, which has shown a variety of intriguing biological properties such as anti-thrombotic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and analgesic, anti-obesity and thermoregulatory, vasorelaxing activity, as well as effects on the cardiovascular and endocrine systems. Recent progress in the studies on the isolation, synthesis, structureactivity relationship studies, biological activities and metabolism of rutaecarpine are reviewed.