Question

Secondary metabolite of plant weed ‘vinca rosea’ is used as anticancer drugs in:
A. Vincristine
B. Cyclophosphamide
C. Vinblastine
D. Both A and C

Answer 1

Hint: Secondary metabolites are substances that organisms make that are not required for core metabolic activities. They can, however, be significant ecologically or otherwise. Secondary metabolites are thought to be the end products of primary metabolites because they are produced using the same mechanisms that primary metabolites use. Antibiotics, poisons, pheromones, enzyme inhibitors, and other chemicals are examples. Novel secondary metabolites are produced by streptomycetes and related
actinomycetes.

Complete answer:
Option A: Vincristine is a vinca alkaloid discovered in Catharanthus roseus, a Madagascar periwinkle. It is used to treat leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma, breast cancer, and head and neck cancer as a chemotherapeutic medication.
So, option A alone is not correct.
Option B: Cyclophosphamide belongs to the alkylating agent class of drugs. When used to treat cancer, cyclophosphamide works by reducing or preventing the proliferation of cancer cells in the body. When cyclophosphamide is used to treat nephrotic syndrome, it suppresses the immune system of the body.
So, option B is incorrect.
Option C: Vinblastine is a naturally occurring alkaloid derived from the Vinca rosea Linn plant. Vinblastine binds to tubulin and prevents microtubule synthesis, causing mitotic spindle assembly to be disrupted and tumour cells to be arrested in the M phase of the cell cycle.
So, option C alone is not correct.
Option D:
Vinca rosea is a flowering plant that is used as a decoration. Vincristine is a secondary metabolite produced by it. Vincristine is a type of anti-cancer medication. The alkaloid vinblastine is generated by the same plant. Both of these chemicals are used to treat leukemias, lymphomas, and paediatric malignancies.
So, option D is correct.

So, Option D is the correct answer.

Note:
Bright eyes, Cape periwinkle, graveyard plant, Madagascar periwinkle and rose periwinkle are all common names for Catharanthus roseus, a flowering plant in the Apocynaceae family. It is native and endemic to Madagascar, although it is also planted as an ornamental and therapeutic plant in other parts of the world. It is a source of the cancer-fighting medicines vincristine and vinblastine. It was previously classified as Vinca rosea in the genus Vinca. The desired alkaloids (vinblastine and vincristine) are naturally produced at relatively low yields, despite their medicinal relevance and widespread use.