• cancer chemotherapy      TITLE: angiosperm: Significance to
humans     SECTION: Significance to humans     ...from Cinchona
(Rubiaceae) bark. Some angiosperm compounds that are highly
toxic to humans have proved to be effective in the treatment of
certain forms of cancer, such as acute leukemia (vincristine
from the Madagascar periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus;
Apocynaceae), and of heart problems (digitalis from foxglove,
Digitalis purpurea; Plantaginaceae). Muscle relaxants...
TITLE: drug: Anticancer drugs     SECTION: Anticancer drugs
...first compound in this class was isolated from the Chinese
camptotheca tree. Irinotecan and topotecan are used in the
treatment of colorectal, ovarian, and small-cell lung cancer.
Vinblastine and vincristine (vinca alkaloids), derived from the
periwinkle plant, along with etoposide, act primarily to stop
spindle formation within the dividing cell during DNA
replication and cell division....   • source      TITLE:
alkaloid     ...tubocurarine is the active ingredient