Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42852327›Full record

ArticleACS omega2026

Electrochemical Investigation of the Redox Behavior of Isoquinoline Alkaloid Emetine.

Carin Smith, JaVe Bonner, Emah Assimewlui, Keliah Tucker, Esdrizabeth Pereyra Cuello, Cassandra Sellers, Tosy King, Cameron Jamal Smith, Zoe Friedman, Weldejeworgis Gebrehiwot and 3 more

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In one paragraph

Article in ACS omega, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Carin SmithChemistry Program, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, District of Columbia 20008, United States.
JaVe BonnerChemistry Program, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, District of Columbia 20008, United States.
Emah AssimewluiBiology Program, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, District of Columbia 20008, United States.
Keliah TuckerBiology Program, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, District of Columbia 20008, United States.
Esdrizabeth Pereyra CuelloBiology Program, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, District of Columbia 20008, United States.
Cassandra SellersBiology Program, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, District of Columbia 20008, United States.
Tosy KingBiology Program, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, District of Columbia 20008, United States.
Cameron Jamal SmithDepartment of Biology, Howard University, Washington, District of Columbia 20059, United States.
Zoe FriedmanDepartment of Psychology & Brain Science, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States.
Weldejeworgis GebrehiwotDepartment of Chemistry, Howard University, Washington, District of Columbia 20059, United States.
Oladapo BakareDepartment of Chemistry, Howard University, Washington, District of Columbia 20059, United States.
Yue LiDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1874-2999
Uche UdeochuChemistry Program, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, District of Columbia 20008, United States.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0575-5085

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Emetine is a biologically active isoquinoline alkaloid with reported antiviral, anticancer, and antiparasitic properties; however, its broader therapeutic application remains limited by dose-dependent toxicity and an incomplete understanding of its oxidative behavior. The electrochemical oxidation of emetine at a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) under physiologically relevant conditions was investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), controlled-potential electrolysis (CPE), UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, and high-resolution LC-QTOF-MS/MS. DPV revealed three irreversible anodic oxidation processes centered near +0.90, +1.01, and +1.25 V versus Ag/AgCl. Scan-rate studies showed that the two lower-potential processes are predominantly diffusion-controlled, whereas the higher-potential process exhibits greater contributions from surface-associated and interfacial phenomena. pH-dependent studies (pH 4.0-9.1) demonstrated that emetine oxidation is strongly influenced by the protonation state and proceeds through a complex multistep irreversible mechanism. CPE generated multiple oxidation products, and subsequent high-resolution LC-QTOF-MS/MS analysis revealed ten emetine-associated products (P1-P10). Tentative structural assignments for P1-P8 encompassed dehydrogenated, oxygenated/dehydrogenated, and nitrogen-containing products, whereas P9 and P10 remained structurally unresolved. Together with complementary spectroscopic evidence, these findings support a mechanistic model in which emetine oxidation is initiated at amine functionalities and adjacent benzylic carbon centers, followed by competing dehydrogenation, oxygen incorporation, and secondary product-forming reactions. This study establishes a mechanistic framework for emetine electrooxidation and demonstrates the utility of integrating electrochemistry with high-resolution mass spectrometry to investigate the oxidative chemistry of bioactive isoquinoline alkaloids.

Identifiers

PMID42852327
PMCPMC13647938

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.