Alkaloids of the Leguminosae

The active principle of the Chinese anti-tumour herbal medicine Crotalaria sessiflora L. has been shown to be monocrotaline (48).41 Monocrotaline is also present in Chinese C. retusa42 and in the seeds of C. nitens.4i Spectrophotometric estimation of crispatine and fulvine in C. madurensis R. Wight was achieved by complexing these alkaloids with bromocresol purple.44 

The N-oxides of senecionine and 1-methylenepyrrolizidine were isolated from the perennial shrub Crotalaria anagyroides H.B.  

Isocromadurine and crispatine (macrocyclic diesters of retronecine) and turneforcidine (1a-hydroxymethyl-76-hydroxy-8a- 

Two new isomeric alkaloids have been isolated from the seeds of Crotalaria candicans W. A. 184 by Siddiqi et al.36 For both alkaloids, the difference in chemical shift for the C-9 protons is 0.95 p.p.m., indicating the presence of a macrocyclic diester ring. Both crocandine (64) and isocrocandine (64) yielded 

Klasek, P. Sedmera, J. Vokoun, A. Boeva, S. Dvorackova, and F. Santavy, Collect. Czech. Chem. Commun., 1980, 45, 548. 

Kirfel, G. Will, H. Wiedenfeld, and E. Roder, Cryst. Struct. Commun., 1980, 9, 353. 

Stefanova-Gateva, and D. Krushovska, Farmatsiya (Sofia), 1979, 29, 32 (Chem. Abstr., 1979,91, 181 334). 

---

Kinghom, A.D. and Balandrin, M.F. (1984). Quinolizidine alkaloids of the Leguminosae Structural types, analysis, chemotaxonomy and biological activities, in Pelletier, S.W., Ed., Alkaloids chemical and biological perspectives, John Wiley and Sons, New York, pp. 105-148. 

A number of publications deal with large-scale alkaloid screening studies. Other reviews concerned with alkaloids of the Leguminosae, chemistry of... 

Kinghorn, a. D. and M. F. Balandrin, Quinolizidine alkaloids of the Leguminosae Structural types, analyses, chemotaxon-omy, and biological properties, in Alkaloids. Chemical and Biological Perspectives, Vol. 2 (S. W. Pelletier, ed.), 105-204, Wiley, New York, 1984. 

Verpoorte R, Siwon J, van Essen GFA, Tieken M, Baerheim-Svendsen A (1982) Studies on the Indonesian medicinal plants VII. Alkaloids of Archangelisia flava. J Nat Prod 45 582—584 White EP (1944) Alkaloids of the Leguminosae. N Z J Sci Tech 258 137-162... 

It is interesting to note the use made of the dienone (41) = (57) in the biosynthesis of both Erythrina alkaloids of the Leguminosae and ihe Dicentra aporphine alkaloids of the Papaveraceae. 

---