oxostephanine

Oxostephanine is a **naturally occurring aporphine alkaloid** isolated from various plants of the genus **Stephania** (notably Stephania dielsiana and Stephania venosa). It is characterized as an inhibitor of **Aurora kinases** (Aurora A, B, and C), which are crucial enzymes involved in cell division. Oxostephanine works by preventing histone H3 phosphorylation at serine 10, inducing mislocalization of Aurora B, and resulting in aneuploidy. It exhibits selective **cytotoxicity against cancer cells**, including ovarian, breast, hepatocellular, leukemia, and other tumor cell lines, while showing minimal toxicity to normal cells. In addition to its anti-mitotic effects, oxostephanine also **inhibits angiogenesis** by attenuating migration and tube formation of endothelial cells. The molecule has not reached clinical application and remains in preclinical research phases, but it is seen as a lead compound for cancer therapy targeting both Aurora kinases and tumor angiogenesis[1][3][4][6].

Other names

oxostephanine