Conophylline is a autophagy inducing[1] vinca alkaloid found in plants of the genus Tabernaemontana.

Among the many functional groups in this molecule is an epoxide: the compound where that ring is replaced with a double bond is called conophyllidine and this co-occurs in the same plants.

Conophylline and conophyllidine were first reported in 1993 after isolation from the ethanol extract of leaves of Tabernaemontana divaricata.

[2][3] The class of vinca alkaloids to which these compounds belong also contains vincristine and vinblastine, well-known therapeutic agents for human cancers, so they were candidates for a number of biochemical assays to see if they had useful biological activity.

[5][6][7] As with other Indole alkaloids, the biosynthesis of conophylline and conophyllidine starts from the amino acid tryptophan.