Vincristine (Vinca Indole Alkaloid · Antimitotic · Informational)
Compiled from published pharmacological and botanical literature. Not independently verified by Herbuno. Spotted an error or have a correction? Flag it below →
| Compound | Vincristine (Leurocristine; VCR; Oncovin) |
| Chemical class | Alkaloid — Indole (dimeric Vinca alkaloid; catharanthine-vindoline scaffold) |
| CAS | 57-22-7 |
| Primary source | Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar periwinkle), aerial parts |
| Key applications | Pharmaceutical antineoplastic (leukaemia, lymphoma); microtubule inhibitor; informational-only |
| Claim strength | High (pharmaceutical) |
| Typical form | Pharmaceutical injectable (vincristine sulfate); not a supplement ingredient |
| Buy from Herbuno | Informational reference — see HerbIQ Compound Index → |
Name origin: Vincristine, also called leurocristine, is a dimeric vinca alkaloid from Catharanthus roseus (formerly Vinca rosea), the Madagascar periwinkle. The molecule joins a catharanthine moiety to a vindoline ring system through a carbon-carbon bond, forming the bisindole architecture characteristic of the anticancer vinca alkaloids. It differs from its sister compound vinblastine by a single N-substituent, a deceptively minor change that markedly alters clinical behaviour. Traditional use: Madagascar periwinkle featured in Caribbean, Madagascan, and other folk traditions, most notably as a putative remedy for diabetes. When mid-twentieth-century researchers investigated that hypoglycaemic reputation, they found instead that leaf extracts caused profound bone-marrow suppression in test animals — a toxic surprise that redirected the work entirely toward oncology and led to the isolation of the antimitotic vinca alkaloids. Research trajectory: Vincristine became one of the foundational cytotoxic drugs of modern chemotherapy, anchoring combination regimens for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and a range of paediatric solid tumours. Its mechanism as a tubulin-binding mitotic poison has been characterised in detail across decades of pharmacology StatPearls 2023. Safety context: Vincristine is a prescription-only cytotoxic agent with dose-limiting peripheral neurotoxicity and a notorious, uniformly fatal outcome if administered intrathecally rather than intravenously. It has no dietary-supplement application whatsoever, and this monograph exists as a formulator and researcher reference to the chemistry and pharmacology of the vinca family.
Evidence for Vincristine Applications
Antimitotic mechanism: Vincristine binds beta-tubulin at the interface between heterodimers, inhibiting microtubule polymerisation and disrupting the mitotic spindle so that dividing cells arrest in metaphase and undergo apoptosis review 2024. Unlike agents that bind one tubulin dimer, the vinca alkaloids bind at the boundary between two, which explains their capacity at higher concentrations to fragment microtubule fibres into spiral aggregates. This tubulin-directed action is the molecular basis of the drug's antineoplastic activity. Claim strength: High (pharmaceutical context).
Clinical oncology use: Vincristine is a component of numerous curative combination protocols — among them CHOP for aggressive lymphomas, MOPP for Hodgkin lymphoma, and the backbone regimens of paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. It is characteristically dosed in low milligram-per-square-metre amounts, frequently with a capped absolute dose, precisely because its therapeutic window is narrow and its neurotoxicity cumulative. Its inclusion in multi-drug regimens exploits its distinct mechanism and non-overlapping toxicity relative to alkylating agents and antimetabolites. Claim strength: High (pharmaceutical context).
Peripheral neurotoxicity: Because axonal transport depends on intact, dynamic microtubules, vincristine produces a dose-dependent, length-dependent peripheral neuropathy that is its principal dose-limiting toxicity and the main clinical feature separating it from vinblastine. The neuropathy typically begins with loss of deep-tendon reflexes and distal paraesthesiae and can progress to motor involvement; it is generally reversible on dose reduction but constrains cumulative exposure. Claim strength: High (pharmaceutical context).
Multidrug resistance: Cellular resistance to vincristine is frequently mediated by P-glycoprotein, an ATP-dependent efflux pump that actively exports the alkaloid and lowers its intracellular concentration. This transport pharmacology, modulated in vitro by calcium-channel antagonists and calmodulin inhibitors, is an active area of oncology research and a recurring obstacle in relapsed disease. Claim strength: Moderate.
Supply and semisynthesis: The intact bisindole occurs in periwinkle at only 0.0003–0.01% of leaf dry weight, so commercial vincristine is produced largely by extracting the more abundant monomeric precursors catharanthine and vindoline and coupling them semisynthetically. This scarcity has driven sustained interest in metabolic engineering of the pathway. Claim strength: Moderate.
This compound is documented for research and formulator education purposes. For commercially available botanical ingredients, explore the HerbIQ Compound Index →
Dosage & Formulator Specification
Vincristine is a pharmaceutical cytotoxic agent with no dietary-supplement application and therefore no consumer dosing. In clinical oncology it is administered exclusively as a sterile intravenous injection of vincristine sulfate by trained professionals, in low milligram-per-square-metre doses that are often capped at a fixed absolute maximum to limit cumulative neurotoxicity. Intrathecal administration is uniformly fatal and is the subject of black-box warnings and hard-wired dispensing safeguards worldwide.
No botanical extract standardised to vincristine is appropriate for supplement formulation, and this is not a matter of purity or grade but of category: the compound is a controlled antineoplastic drug. Catharanthus roseus herb itself contains the cytotoxic vinca alkaloids and is not a food-safe supplement botanical; formulators should regard periwinkle leaf material as a pharmaceutical feedstock rather than an ingredient.
The commercial production route reflects the plant's chemistry. Because the dimeric alkaloids are vanishingly scarce, manufacturers extract the monomeric precursors catharanthine and vindoline from periwinkle biomass, couple them chemically to anhydrovinblastine, and convert that to vinblastine and then vincristine. Analytical control relies on HPLC quantification of the alkaloids against reference standards, with tight impurity limits given the potency of the final product.
For the formulator, the practical takeaway is a clean boundary: vincristine and periwinkle-derived vinca alkaloids belong to regulated pharmaceutical supply chains, not to the standardised-botanical catalogue. This page documents the compound as a chemical-family and mechanistic reference so that its relationship to other HerbIQ entries (vinblastine, and the Rauvolfia and Catharanthus alkaloids) is clear, without implying any sourcing pathway.
Frequently Asked Questions — Vincristine
What is vincristine and where does it come from?
Vincristine is a dimeric (bisindole) vinca alkaloid isolated from the aerial parts of Catharanthus roseus, the Madagascar periwinkle. It couples a catharanthine unit to a vindoline unit, and it is a pharmaceutical chemotherapy agent rather than a dietary supplement ingredient. It reached clinical use in the 1960s and remains a component of several curative combination regimens.
How does vincristine work at the molecular level?
Vincristine binds the beta-subunit of tubulin at the interface between adjacent tubulin heterodimers, suppressing microtubule dynamics and preventing normal assembly of the mitotic spindle. Dividing cells cannot correctly segregate their chromosomes, arrest in metaphase, and undergo apoptosis. At higher concentrations the alkaloid can actively depolymerise microtubules, while at low concentrations it stabilises spindle-microtubule dynamics without net depolymerisation.
Why is vincristine informational-only in the HerbIQ index?
Vincristine is a controlled cytotoxic pharmaceutical with a narrow therapeutic index and dose-limiting neurotoxicity, and it is fatal if given by the wrong (intrathecal) route. It has no dietary-supplement or food application, so HerbIQ documents it purely as a formulator and researcher reference within the vinca-alkaloid family rather than as a sourceable ingredient.
What distinguishes vincristine from vinblastine?
Both are Catharanthus bisindole alkaloids sharing the catharanthine-vindoline scaffold and the same tubulin-binding mechanism, and they differ by only a single substituent on the vindoline portion (an N-formyl group in vincristine versus an N-methyl group in vinblastine). That small difference shifts the toxicity profile substantially: vincristine's dose-limiting toxicity is peripheral neuropathy, whereas vinblastine's is bone-marrow suppression.
Related compounds: Vinblastine, Catharanthine, Vindoline, Reserpine
Claim-strength scale – High = multiple human RCTs; Moderate = limited trials or strong preclinical convergence; Emerging = early-stage lab or animal data.
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