Berberine alkaloids genera

The isolation of (— )-iV-methylstylopinium chloride from Papaver rhoeas represents the first time that a quaternary tetrahydroprotoberberine alkaloid has been isolated from the Papaver genus. Treatment of this alkaloid with base in DMSO solution gave the Hofmann product (149). This type of product has not been obtained by Hofmann degradation of JV-methyltetrahydrober-berinium or iV-methyltetrahydropseudoprotoberberinium alkaloids. Of the alkaloids isolated from Thalictrum polygonum, only berberine was shown to exhibit weak antimicrobial activity.The alkaloid content of Chelidonium majus was studied as a function of the drying procedure of the plant. ... 

As stated above, berberine is the most cited protoberberine alkaloid in the period covered by this review. From the seven plant families from which it has been isolated, the family Berberidaceae shows the greatest number of citations, with 34 citations. It is important to note that among the 34 citations from the family, 32 were from the genus Berberis. 

The chemical constituents of the roots of "Columba" (Jateorhiza pahnata Miers, = J. columba Miers) have been known for more then a century. Berberine was the first compound to be isolated, by Boedecker in 1849 (88). After that came columbamine, jatrorrhizine, and palmatine. It is very common to find this combination of alkaloids distributed in the various genera of the Menispermaceae. Also isolated from the genus was the dimer bisjatrorrhizine. In Dioscoreophyllum were found columbamine, jatrorrhizine and palmatine. 

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