Producing Valuable Pharmaceutical Compounds from Cell Cultures of the Madagascar Periwinkle Plant


Figure 1a: The Madagascar Periwinkle or
Catharanthus roseus plant

Plants are a rich source of important pharmaceuticals.  In fact, 25 to 50 percent of all prescription drugs used in the U.S. is extracted from plants or is based on chemical structures of compounds produced by plants.  We are studying the Madagascar rosy periwinkle (or Catharanthus roseus) which produces a) ajmalicine and serpentine, used in the treatment of hypertension, and b) vinblastine and vincristine, used in the treatment of certain types of cancer (Figure 1).  The periwinkle plant produces these compounds in very low concentrations, ranging from less than 0.0005%-0.3% by weight.  As a result, the market price for ajmalicine, vinblastine, and vincristine extracted from the plant is estimated at $2000/kg, $2 million/kg, and $15 million/kg, respectively.  The supply of these compounds is limited by the availability of the plant.


Figure 1b: The Catharanthus roseus plant's
important pharmaceutical compounds

Next ->