An adjuvant composition comprising noscapine and its derivatives, for use in the treatment of tumors, cancer, as an adjuvant for vaccines.

Noscapine analogs with various functional moieties at position 9 on the isoquinoline ring kill human cancer cells resistant to other anti-microtubule agents, such as vincas and taxanes.

Noscapine, a natural substance found in cough medicine is likely to prove useful in treating prostate cancer.

Isoquinolines such as papaverine and noscapine have no significant central nervous system effects.

The other alkaloids such as papaverine and noscapine have no significant effect on the central nervous system.

The disclosure relates to a nucleic acid molecule isolated from a Papaver somniferum cultivar that produces the opiate alkaloid noscapine which comprises 10 genes involved in the biosynthesis of opiate alkaloids.

Five of the natural occurring opiates used in the practice of medicine are morphine, codeine, thebaine, papaverine, and noscapine.

It was long been known that opium, a sticky mixture of alkaloids (including codeine, morphine, noscapine, thebaine, and papaverine) from the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), possessed a narcotic and at the same time mind-altering properties.

Other central nervous system depressants: other opioid derivatives (analgesics and antitussives containing e.g. morphine, dextropropoxyphene, codeine, dextromethorphan or noscapine).

This enabled the researchers to identify a large cluster of 15 genes that encode enzymes involved in two distinct biosynthetic pathways involved in the production of both noscapine and the compounds leading to codeine and morphine.

Apart from diamorphine, heroin contains variable amounts of other opium alkaloids and acetylated alkaloids (e.g. noscapine, papaverine and acetylcodeine) as well as adulterants such as caffeine and paracetamol.

It enabled the researchers to identify a large cluster of 15 genes that encode enzymes involved in two distinct biosynthetic pathways involved in the production of both noscapine and the compounds leading to codeine and morphine.