Lycopersicon Solanum steroid alkaloids

The fruit of a number of solanaceous plants, including tomato Lycopersicon esculentum), potato Solanum tuberosum) and eggplant Solarium melongena esculentum), have cholinesterase-inhibiting effects (Krasowski et al. 1997). They contain solanaceous glycoalkaloids o-solanine and o-chaconine, which are triglycosides of solanidine, a steroidal alkaloid derived from cholesterol. They are the only plant chemicals known to inhibit both acetlycholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, both in vitro and in vivo. 

Steroid alkaloids Solanaceae Liliaceae Solanum tuberosum Lycopersicon esculentum Veratrum album Solanidine Tomatine Jervine Cyclop amine Cycloposine Protoveratrine A Protoveratrine B... 

At least 450 steroid and triterpenoid alkaloids have been reported (Verpoorte et al., 1991). Most steroidal alkaloids occur in a relatively small number of genera (Cestrum, Cy-phomandra, Lycopersicon, Nicotiana, and Solanum) of the family Solanaceae and of the family Liliaceae (Fritillaria, Veratrum, and Zygadems). Related alkaloids are known from the Apocynaceae (Funtumia, Holarrhena, and Ma-louetia) and Buxaceae. Alkaloids based on triterpenoid structures are much less common. Probably the best known ones are found in plants of the Buxaceae (especially Buxus, Pachysandra, and Sarcococca) (Gross et al., 1985 Roddick, 1980, 1986). 

Solanum alkaloids steroid alkaloids that occur in plants of the nightshade family (Solanaceae) of the genera Solanum, Lycopersicon, Cyphomandra and Cestrum. S. a. are structurally related to the parent hydrocarbon, cholestane (see Steroids). 

The basic cholesterol skeleton can also be modified by the incorporation of a nitrogen heteroatom as in the steroidal alkaloids. Two examples are abutilosides A and B (66 and 67) isolated from S. abutiloides [68-70], which are closely related to the open-chain steroidal glycosides abutilosides D-G (47-50) [45] discussed above. Glycosteroidalkaloids such as these are particularly abiuidant in the Solanum (Solanaceae) [68-70], Lycopersicon (Solanaceae) [71-73], and Fritillaria (Liliaceae) [74—76]. 

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