Alkaloids conversion

Brossi, A. 1991. Mammalian alkaloids Conversion of tetrahydroisoquinoline-1-carboxylic acids derived from Dopamine. Planta Medica, 57 S93-S100 and, Xe, X. S., Tadic, D Brzostowska, M Brossi, A., Bell, M. and Creveling, C. 1991. Mammalian alkaloids - Synthesis and O-methylation of (S)-3 -hydroxycoclaurine and R-3 -hydroxycoclaurine and their N-methylated analogs with S-adenosyl-L-[methyl-C-14]methionine in presence of mammalian catechol O-methyltransferase. Helvetica Chimica Acta, 74 1399-1411. 

Cinchona Group.—The relationship between conformation and antimalarial activity in the quinine series has been discussed.142" Apparently there is no intramolecular hydrogen-bond in the active alkaloids conversely, the inactive ones exhibit intramolecular hydrogen-bonding. 

Some of the most interesting applications of organic structural theory to the elucidation of biosynthetic pathways were stimulated by efforts to formulate mechanisms for the biosynthesis of alkaloids. Conversely, consideration of implied biogenetic relations have occasionally helped structural determination. An important aspect of theories concerning alkaloid biosynthesis has been the assumed role of the aromatic amino acids in their formation. Only limited experimental evidence is available in this area. The incorporation of tyrosine- 8-C into morphine has been shown to be in accordance with a theory for its formation from 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl-alanine plus 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde. A stimulating theory of the biosynthesis of indole alkaloids, based on a condensation between trypt-amine and a rearrangement product of prephenic acid, has recently been published. The unique stereochemistry of C15 of these alkaloids had an important part in the formulation of the theory. Experimental proof of this theory would be valuable for several areas of alkaloid chemistry and biosynthesis. 

Baxster RI, Dorschel CA, Lee SL, Scott AI. Biosynthesis of the antitumor cafiiaranfiius alkaloids. Conversion of anhydrovinblastine into vinblastine. J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Comm. 1979 257-259. Gueritte F, Bac NV, Langlois Y, Potier P. Biosynthesis of antitumour alkaloids from Cafiiaranfiius roseus. Conversion of 20 deoxyleurosidine into vinblastine. J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Comm. 1980 452-453. 

Brossi A. Mammalian alkaloids conversion of tetrahydroisoquinoline-l-carboxylic acids derived from dopamine. Planta Med 1991 57 S93-S100. 

The Opiates. The International Narcotics Control Board—Vienna, tracks the tick production of narcotic dmgs and annually estimates world requkements for the United Nations. Thek most recent pubHcation (100) points out that more than 95% of the opium for Hcit medical and scientific purposes is produced by India and, in a declining trend, only about 600 t was utilized in 1988. This trend appears to be due to the fact that the United States, the largest user of opium for alkaloid extraction, reduced the amount of opium being imported from about 440 t in 1986 to 249 t in 1987 and 224 t in 1988. The United States used about 48 t of morphine (2, R = H) in 1988, most (about 90%) being converted to codeine (2, R = CH3) and the remainder being used for oral adrninistration to the terminally ill (about 2 t) and for conversion to other materials of minor commercial import which, while clearly alkaloid-derived, are not naturally occurring. 

When heated with acids or alkalis, hyoscyamine undergoes hydrolysis into tropine and dZ-tropic acid probably via conversion into atropine, and it is this alkaloid which is hydrolysed. According to Gadamer, when hyoscyamine is hydrolysed with cold water the products are inactive tropine and Z-tropie acid. Amenomiya has shown that Ladenburg and Hundt s partially synthetic d- and Z-atropines were probably mixtures of atropine with d- and Z-hyoscyamines. He resolved dZ-tropic acid into the d- and Z- forms, esterified these with tropine in 5 per cent, hydrochloric acid, and so obtained d- and Z-hyoscyamines, the latter identical with the natural alkaloid, d- and Z-Hyoscyamines have also been obtained by Barroweliff and Tutin by the resolution of atropine by means of d-camphorsulphonic acid. 

Anhalonine and Lophophorine. Spath and Gangl showed that each of these alkaloids contains a methylenedioxy group and that the quarternary iodide prepared from dZ-anhalonine is identical with lophophorine methiodide so that lophophorine must be N-methylanhalonine. Anhalonine was synthesised from 3 4-methylenedioxy-5-methoxybenzaldehyde by condensation with nitromethane, reduction of the product to the corresponding -ethylamine, the acetyl derivative (VII) of which, on treatment with phosphoric anhydride, condensed to 6-methoxy-7 8-methylenedioxy-l-methyl-3 4-dihydrofsoquinoline, m.p. 60-2°. This, on reduction, furnished the corresponding tetrahydrofsoquinoline, which proved to be anhalonine (VIII), and on conversion to the quaternary methiodide the latter was found to be lophophorine (IX) methiodide. The possible alternative, 8-methoxy-6 7-methylenedioxy-l 2-dimethyl-l 2 3 4-tetrahydrofsoquinoline, was prepared by Freund s method and the methiodide shown not to be identical with lophophorine methiodide. 

Papaverine, C20H21O4N. This alkaloid, first obtained by Merck, occurs in the mixture precipitated by ammonia from the mother liquors of opium extract from which morphine and codeine have been separated in Gregory s process, and methods for its isolation from this mixture have been published by Hesse and others. The alkaloid may be purified by conversion into the acid oxalate, B. H2C2O4, m.p. 196° or 201-5-202°, which is nearly insoluble in alcohol. 

The three alkaloids concerned, morphine, codeine and thebaine, all behave as tertiary bases. Morphine contains two hydroxyl groups of which one is phenolic and the other a secondary alcohol group. On methylation of the phenolic hydroxyl codeine results. On oxidation, codeine is transformed into codeinone by conversion of the secondary alcohol group into a carbonyl group, and when thebaine is boiled with A-sulphuric acid for a few minutes, it is hydrolysed into codeinone and methyl sulphate, and in other ways thebaine has been shown to contain two methoxyl groups. That the relationship between the three alkaloids is close may be illustrated by the following slightly extended formula —... 

In view of the fact that the conversion of tertiary into quaternary base other hand, hydrogenation in this series ma have 110 effect on activity (cf. erythraline and its dihydro-derivative ery thramine) or may enhance it (cf. -erythroidine and its dihydride) or mai diminish it (cf. erythramine and its dihydride). 

These results indicate that quinine and quinidine differ in structure from cinchonine and cinehonidine in containing a methoxyl group in position 6 in a quinoline nucleus. The identity of the other oxidation products, meroquinenine, cincboloiponic and loiponic acids, in all foiu" cases indicates that the second half of the molecule has the same structure in all four alkaloids. Further, this second half must be joined to the quinoline nucleus at position 4 by a group capable of conversion into carboxyl. 

The central. CHOH. group in the cinchona alkaloids seems to be essential to anti-malarial activity Conversion into quinicines [quinatoxines (I) — (VII)] destroys activity and so do such changes as. CHOH. — . CHCl. (cinchona chlorides) or. CHOH. — . CHj. (deoxy-cinchona bases) or. CHOH. — . CO. quina-ketones), or acylation of the hydroxyl group except in the case of quinine ethylcarbonate. 

These formulae explain the scission products of the two alkaloids and the conversion of evodiamine into rutaecarpine, and were accepted by Asahina. A partial synthesis of rutaecarpine was effected by Asahina, Irie and Ohta, who prepared the o-nitrobenzoyl derivative of 3-)3-amino-ethylindole-2-carboxylic acid, and reduced this to the corresponding amine (partial formula I), which on warming with phosphorus oxychloride in carbon tetrachloride solution furnished rutaecarpine. This synthesis was completed in 1928 by the same authors by the preparation of 3-)S-amino-ethylindole-2-carboxylic acid by the action of alcoholic potassium hydroxide on 2-keto-2 3 4 5-tetrahydro-3-carboline. An equally simple synthesis was effected almost simultaneously by Asahina, Manske and Robinson, who condensed methyl anthranilate with 2-keto-2 3 4 5-tetrahydro-3-carboline (for notation, see p. 492) by the use of phosphorus trichloride (see partial formulae II). Ohta has also synthesised rutaecarpine by heating a mixture of 2-keto-2 3 4 5-tetrahydrocarboline with isatoic anhydride at 195° for 20 minutes. 

Johnson has described a method for the estimation of physostigmine in the salicylate for the determination of minute amounts of the alkaloid Ellis, Plaehte and Straus have devised processes depending on (a) inhibition of serum choline-esterase by the alkaloid, or (b) measurement of the colour intensity produced by the conversion of physostigmine to rubreserine in an alkaline medium. i ... 

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