Allium tuberosum

In addition to compounds related to mimosine, other NPAAs are synthesized by transfer of an alanine residue catalysed by cysteine synthase, e.g. the formation of isoxazolin-5-on-2-yl-alanine in Lathyrus sativus (Ikegami et al, 1993). Moreover, partial purification of cysteine synthase from Allium tuberosum revealed that this enzyme also catalyses the formation of cysteine derivatives, such as S-allylcysteine (Ikegami et al, 1993). The various aspects of the formation of NPAAs by cysteine synthase are presented by Noji et al. (1993) and Ikegami and Murakoshi (1994). 

Ikegami, R, Itagaki, S. and Murakoshi, I. (1993) Purification and characterization of two forms of cysteine synthase from Allium tuberosum. Phytochemistry, 32, 31-4. 

Allium tuberosum. See Chives, garlic All-purpose insect pest spray. 466 Almond. 1 ... 

Sang S, Mao S,Lao A, ChanZ, HoC-T (2001) Four New Steroidal Saponins from the Seeds of Allium tuberosum. J Agric Food Chem 49 1475... 

Zou Z-M, Yu D-Q, Cong P-Z (2001) A Steroidal Saponin from the Seeds of Allium tuberosum. Phytochemistry 57 1219... 

Ikeda T, Tsumagari H, Okawa M, Nohara T (2004) Pregnane- and Furostane-Type Oligoglycosides from the Seeds of Allium tuberosum. Chem Pharm Bull 52 142... 

C42H83N0 698.121 Constit. of the seeds of Allium tuberosum (Chinese chives). Amorpth. powder. 

Sang S, Xia Z, Mao S, Lao A, Chen Z (2000) Studies on chemical constituents in seed of Allium tuberosum Rottl. Zhongguo Zhonggyao Zazhi 25 286-288 Sannai A, Fujimori T, Kato K (1982) Isolation of (-)-l,2-dehydro-a-cyperone and solavetivone from Lycium chinense. Phytochemistry 21 2986-2987 Sarmento da Silva TM, Braz-FUho R, de Carvalho MG, Agra M (2002) l,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-2-methyl- 3-carboline and solavetivone from Solanum jabrense. Biochem Syst Ecol 30 1083-1085... 

Manabe, T., Jasumi, A., Sugiyama, M. et al (1998) Alliina.se [S-alk(en)yl-L-cysteine sulphoxide lyase] from Allium tuberosum (Chinese chive) - purification, localization, cDNA cloning and heterologous functional expression. Eur. J. Biochem., 257,21—30. 

The scientific name of Chinese chives is Allium tuberosum Rottl. (Liliaceae). It is known as Jiucai in China and Nira in Japan. It is a perennial plant and both the leaves and the inflorescences are edible. It has also been used as an herbal medicine for many diseases. According to the dictionary of Chinese medicines, the leaves have been used for the treatment of abdominal pain, diarrhea, hematemesis, snakebite and asthma while the seeds are used as a tonic and aphrodisiac. In the present study, 39 compounds were isolated and identified from the ethanol extract of the seeds of Allium tuberosum. Among them, 23 are new compounds and include spirostanol saponins, furostanol saponins, cholesterol saponins and alkaloids. Their structures were identified by a combination of ESIMS, ID, and 2D-NMR (COSY, TOCSY, ROSEY, HMQC, and HMBC). The antitumor activities of some of these compounds will be discussed. 

The seeds of Allium tuberosum were purchased from Shanghai Traditional Chinese Medicine Inc. in September 1997, and were identified by Professor Xuesheng Bao (Shanghai Institute of Drug Control). A voucher specimen (No. 334) has been deposited at the Herbarium of the Department of Phytochemistry, Institute of Materia Medica, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. 

In this research, we systematically studied the chemical components of the seeds of Allium tuberosum, A total of 39 compounds were isolated. Twenty-three of them are new compounds (marked in ). The structures of the isolated compounds were eludidated by spectral methods which include APCI-MS, H-NMR, C-NMR, H- H COSY, TOCSY, ROESY, HMQC, and HMBC. In addition, 12 of them have been tested for the inhibition of the HL-60 cell line. One new spirostanol saponin (1) showed veiy strong inhibition with an IC50 values of 6.8 xg/mL. Further investigations on the prevention of disease and improvement of human health by the seeds of Allium tuberosum and/or its bioactive components are required. 

Brewster, J.L. Rabinowitch, H.D. Onions and Allied crops Chinese chives Allium tuberosum rottl. Saito, S. CRC Press, Inc. Boca Raton, Florida, 1990 220. 

Quinoline-4-carbaldehyde derivatives also occur in higher plants (Table Vlll). For example, 8-hydroxyquinoline-4-carbaldehyde oxime (J.3.1 Scheme 9) was isolated from Broussonetia zeylanica (Moraceae) (151-153). (+)-Tuberosine B (J.1.2), an unprecedented tetrahydroquinoline alkaloid, has been reported in the inaccessible Chinese literature as a new metabolite of Allium tuberosum (Alliaceae) (157). Eichhornia crassipes (Pontederiaceae) is an invasive plant and often jams rivers and lakes with uncounted thousands of tons of floating plant matter. It has yielded 1,4-dimethylquinolinium iodide (J.4) (142). 

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