Euphorbiaceae family

Several biomass species have been found to contain oils and/or hydrocarbons (Table 13). It is apparent that oil or hydrocarbon formation is not limited to any one family or type of biomass. Interestingly, some species in the Euphorbiaceae family, which includes Hevea bra liensis form hydrocarbons having molecular weights considerably less than that of natural mbber at yields as high as 10 wt% of the plant. This corresponds to hydrocarbon yields of about 3.97 mVhm2-yr(25bbl/hm2-yr). 

Several new alkaloids were isolated at the end of the sixties from Astrocasia phyllanthoides, a shrub belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family and native to Central America.37,38 Astrocasine was proposed as the structure for the predominant alkaloid, based largely on spectral data (IR, UV, NMR, MS) and partial degradation studies. Later, (+)-astrophylline was isolated from the same plant, which is the first natural c/s-cinnamoyl alkaloid to be reported.37... 

Jojoba oil was first produced as a possible substitute for the spermaceti oil or wax derived from sperm whales. Jojoba oil is pressed from the seeds of the jojoba tree (Simmondsia chinensis), which is a member of the Euphorbiaceae family. This oil is very stable and resistant to oxidation. Its uses are mostly cosmetic, in shampoos, lotions, and sun block lotions. It is also used as a lubricant, as a polish, and mixed with other oils and wax in water-resistant coatings and candles. 

Euphorbia kansui Lion (Euphorbiaceae family) is distributed widely in northwest China. The dried roots of the plant are known as kansui and classified as a lower-class medicine. It is used as an herbal remedy for ascites (abdominal fluid accumulation) and cancer in China. 

It is apparent that the formation of these substances is not limited to any one family or type of biomass. Interestingly, certain species in the Euphorbiaceae family, which includes H. brasiliensis, have been reported to form terpene liquids at a yield of 8 dry wt % of the plant and a minimum of 25 bbl/ha-year (10 bbl/ac-year) (Calvin 1978, 1987). As will be shown later, many ot these products are suitable as motor tuels or feedstocks for upgrading to motor fuels. Gasoline plantations are thus not totally in the realm of science fiction (Maugh, 1976, 1979). It is necessary to emphasize, however, that in order for a liquid hydrocarbon yield of 25 bbl/ha-year to be sustained in the field, the yield of dry biomass per unit growth area must be about 42.1 t/ha-year (18.8 ton/ac-year) when 8 wt % of the dry plant is terpenes. 

Note Olefinic (isoprenoid) hydrocarbons are produced by a number of plants, notably Hevea brazi-lietisis (rubber), guayule, and various members of the Euphorbiaceae family. Current research on the latter group indicates that they could be used as a source of liquid fuels and chemical feedstocks by genetic modification of the plants and control of then molecular constitution. It is estimated that oil obtained by large-scale cultivation of such plants, which grow well in semi-arid environments, could become economically competitive with petroleum within a few years. 

Mdschl, H. (1938) Zur Klinik und Pathogenese der Rizinvergiftang. Wein Klin Wochenschr, 51, 473 475. Moulin, A., Teissere, M., Bernard, C. and Pieroni, G. (1994) Lipases of the euphorbiaceae family purification... 

Plants of the Euphorbiaceae family and particularly members of the Euphorbia genus have long been known to yield latexes with irritant and carcinogenic properties and these properties have been associated with diter-penes of the phorbol class. Members of the Euphorbia genus also contain diterpenes with other skeletons, among them the ingenane derivative PEP005 (38). " ... 

Plants within the Euphorbiaceae family elaborate a diverse number of alkaloids most of which defy distinct biogenetic classification (1, 2). Two groups which can he distinguished are the benzylisoquinoline... 

AbdulladzhanovaNG, Mavlyanov SM, DalimovDN (2003) Polyphenols of certain plants of the Euphorbiaceae family. Chem Nat Compd 39(4) 399-400... 

The oldest form of rubber is natural rubber. The basic elastomer of natural rubber is taken from the latex of the rubber tree (Hevea brasUiensis, Euphorbiacea family). Latex consists of carbohydrates, water, fatty acids, proteins and stearines. The complex composition of latex varies significantly with origin, seasrni, etc. This variation in composition is the main disadvantage when using this material in pharmaceutical products. 

Phorbol esters. Phorbol esters are an interesting class of compounds which are synthesized by plants of the Euphorbiaceae family. (See also the article by Berry and Helms in this vo1-ume.) They promote skin tumors and also affect the immune system. They stimulate some subpopulations of human T-lymphocytes to divide (Kaplan et al., 1982) and alter the activity of natural killer cells (Kolb et al., 1981). The effect may be adjuvantlike, since the phorbol esters have a macrophage-replacing activity in some culture systems (Koretzky et al., 1982). Vitamin A derivatives appear to inhibit the mitogenic activity of phorbols (Skinnider and Giesbrecht, 1981), but it is not clear whether this is related to the immunopharmacological effects of retinoids discussed above. 

The distribution of Securinega alkaloids is restricted to the PhyUantha-ceae family and more precisely to the genera Securinega, Phyllanthus, Breynia, and Margaritaria. PhyUanthaceae, which was first proposed as a plant family by Martinov (or Martynov) in 1820, was separated from Euphorbiaceae by Hoffinann in 2006 and now is included in the APGIII classification. However, Securinega alkaloids are often stiU referred to the Euphorbiaceae family even in the contemporary Hterature. 

Hydroxycarboxylic acids and 5-hydroxycarboxylic acids occur in the form of corresponding y- and 5-lactones in many fruits, especially apricots and peaches. Many other hydroxy fatty acids are also found in seed oils of plants. For example, (S)-jalapinolic acid (3-28) occurs in lipophilic ester-type dimers of acylated pentasaccharides derived from L-rhamnose in sweet potato Ipomoea batatas, Convolvulaceae), which are known as batatins. (9Z,12S)-12-Hydroxyoctadec-9-enoic (ricinoleic) acid (3-29) occurs in castor oil, where it represents about 90% of the total fatty acids. So-called castor oil is extracted from the seeds of the castor oil plant Ricinus communis) of the Euphorbiaceae family, and is used only for technical purposes as it has purgative properties. 

All of these structures are central to a wide variety of natural products found both in plants and in animals. For example, cem-brene is a pheromone of termites casbene occurs in castor beans Ricinus communis, Euphorbiaceae) as an antifungal substance and is a precursor of other biologically active diterpenoids, such as phorbol (see 8-25, later) of the same plant family. Many species of the Euphorbiaceae family are regarded as toxic because their... 

Commonly known as croton, this flowering plant belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family and grows wild in tropical and template areas. Megalocarpus represents one of the numerous species of croton revealed as a profitable substitute for Jatropha in biodiesel production, as well as a solution for desertification in Africa, due to lower water requirements and high oil productivity (Milich, 2009). Endemic in east Africa, its nuts produce 40—45% (w/w) of a nonedible oil rich in free fatty acids (Aliyu et al., 2010) traditionally used for medicinal purposes. 

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