One of the recently identified alkaloids for the cancer treatment is Nuphar alkaloids. For past few years, interest has grown with in Nuphar alkaloids that have been extracted from diverse Nuphar species. The common structure in all Nuphar alkaloids is the presence of a methyl group embedded at C-3 position of trisubstituted piperidine ring and a furyl substituent at C-6 position. The Nuphar alkaloid has outstanding bioactivity, including immunosuppression and anti-metastatic properties, thanks to the electrophilic sulphur atom in the thiaspirane pharmacophore. The absence of the 6-hydroxy substituent in substances like nupharidine, deoxynupharidine, and neothiobinupharidine results in minimal cytotoxicity and no discernible influence on the production of plaque-forming cells. Hence, this literature review summarizes several Nuphar alkaloids isolated, and their biological characteristics identified so far.

6-hydroxy group; Cytotoxicity; Plaque-forming cell formation; Sulphur atom; Yellow pond lily