Menispermaceae-curare

MENISPERMACEAE-CURARE This type of curare is prepared from the bark of Chondrodendron tomentosum Ruiz and Pavon and C. platophyllum Mers and other Chondrodendron ecies, family Menispermaceae, by extraction with boiling water followed by... 

The most active principle of Menispermaceae curare is (+)-tubocurarine (25, 39). The origin plants of tubocurare are mainly of the Chondodendron species such as C. tomentosum, C. platyphyllum, and C. candicans, C. tomentosum is a liana whose bark and stem contain (+)-tubocurarine. 

Curares based on Menispermaceae predominate in the Pemvian Amazon region (in the area bounded by the rivers Napo, Marahon, and Ucayali) mixed Logania-ceae/Menispermaceae curares are found chiefly in the area covered by the middle reaches of the Brazilian Amazon and its tributaries and Strychnos curares come principally from the region between the Orinoco in the north and the Negro and lower reaches of the Amazon in the south (Vellard 1965, 1973). There is, however, evidence that mixed curares were also made in Guyana (Moody 1965, Snedden et al. 1970).. ... 

Para, Tube or Bamboo Curare. This variety was packed in sections of bamboo, but this almost traditional information needs modification since tube curare became a commercial article. It is now a viscous, solid or even powdered extract, exported in sealed tins. In view of the relationship established between bebeerine, curine, and tubocurarhie, the active alkaloid of this variety of curare, the suggestion was made, first by Spath, Leithe and Ladeck, and more definitely by King that its botanical source should be sought among the Brazilian Menispermaceae, and as shown later the search for the source of the d-tubocurarine found in this variety of curare has been narrowed down to Chondrodendron tomentosum, or possibly a closely related species liable to be confused with it. 

The arrow poison curare, when produced from Chondrodendron species (Menispermaceae), contains principally the bis-benzyltetrahydroisoquino-line alkaloid tubocurarine (see page 324). Species of Strychnos, especially S. toxifera, are employed in making loganiaceous curare, and biologically active alkaloids isolated from such preparations have been identified as a series of toxiferines, e.g. C-toxiferine (Figure 6.85). The structures appear remarkably complex, but may be envisaged as a combination of two Wieland-Gumlich... 

A sample of Peruvian curare [possibly derived from Chondrodendron toxiferum (Wedd.) Kruk, et Mold. (Menispermaceae)] provided (R,5)-nor-M -chondrocurine (492),... 

Bisbenzylisoquinolines (macrocyclic or linear, formed by 2 benzylisoquinolines) (+)-tubocurarine (macrocyclic) (acetylcholine (nicotinic) receptor antagonist and skeletal muscle relaxant major component of Chondrodendron species (Menispermaceae) pareira bark-derived curare arrow poison) dauricine (linear) (Menispermaceae curarelike anaesthetic) rodiasine (macrocyclic) (Ocotoea venenosa (Lauraceae) curare-like skeletal muscle relaxant) cepharanthine (macrocyclic) (Stephania species (Menispermaceae) anti-mycobacterial active against leprosy and tuberculosis). 

Indian arrow poison curare component Chondrodendron tomentosum (pareira), C. spp (Menispermaceae) [bark]... 

Menispermaceae contains many medicinal and toxic plants. Some of the South American Menispermaceae were used by native Indians for their curare activity [7]. The western world was introduced to the muscle relaxants by the Spaniards, who encountered these arrow poisons in 1514 [7, 95]. The main South American Menispermaceae species used to prepare pot/tube curare are Chondrodendron tomentosum, and three of the four known curarea genus, Curarea candicans, C. tecunarum and C. toxicofera [7]. 

Chapter 3 by Mary D. Menachery surveys the alkaloids of South American Menispermaceae (moonseed family). Many different structural types are included in this family. The alkaloidbearing plants are woody-vines, shrubs, or small trees. Several of these species possess potent curare activity. The chemistry as well as pharmacology of these alkaloids is summarized. 

Paracyclea ochiaiana (Yamamoto) Kudo and Yamamoto (Menispermaceae)] 182] Peruvian curare (145]... 

The two nonquatemary alkaloids of this small subgroup are chondocurine (130) and nor-N(,-chondocurine (230), the latter being the N(2 ) nor- derivative of the former. Chondocurine (also called chondrocurine) has been isolated from Chondodendron tomentosum and 2 species of Cyclea, all three plants being of the family Menispermaceae. The nor-base 230 and chondocurine have both been isolated from what is only described as Peruvian curare. 

Other new bisbenzylisoquinolines reported are peinamine (43), from a specimen of curare from the upper Orinoco region, prepared from unknown plants, probably of the Menispermaceae, ° and funiferine A -oxide (44), from Tiliacora funifera. ... 

Pavine and iso >avine aHtaMds. The P. a. are derivatives of benzyl(tetrahydro)isoquinoline alkaloids that occur in various species of, in particular, the Pa-paveraceae, Berberidaceae, Ranunculaceae, Lauraceae, and Menispermaceae (see table). Argemonine exhibits curare-like properties. 

As described previously, the origins of the three types of curare are the extracts of Chondodendron (Menispermaceae) and/or Strychnos (Loganiaceae) plants. Among them, the toxic components of Strychnos plants are C-curarine and C-toxiferine I, etc.These constituents are alkaloids derived from tryptophan and are described in the next (Section 2.15).The C- is the initial of calabash. On the other hand, the toxic principle of tubocu-rare is d-tubocurarine, an alkaloid derived from phenylalanine. The alkaloid was first isolated as a hydrochloride from tubocurare and is preserved in the Museum of the British Society of Pharmacy [1]. The chemical structure of d-tubocurarine was first proposed as a bisbenzylisoquinoline with two quaternary ammonium moieties. This was revised in 1970 to be the structure with one tertiary and one quaternary amine after X-ray crystallographic analysis [2]. 

Curare is a muscle relaxant drug, originally used as an arrow poison by Amazonian Indians. The traditional curare is prepared by a secret recipe thought to involve a number of plant species (Plotkin 1993). Plant sources of curare include Strychnos castelnaei and species in the Loganaceae family and Chondodendron tomentosum in the Menispermaceae family. Tubocurarine, a benzylisoquinoline dimer, is the major alkaloid in the curare plants. It exhibits paralysing effects on skeletal muscles, and is used as a muscle relaxant in surgical procedures. It controls convulsions caused by the toxic alkaloid strychnine. 

The plant femily Menispermaceae is widely known for the production of a great variety of alkaloids. This was first noticed even before the fiui was created, when, after the first visits of European colonists, they came back taUdng about soldiers being wounded by arrows tipped with poison. Further details of this poison came later when it was observed that it was composed of extracts fix>m poisonous herbs. There were many Cerent herbs used to produce the poison, including one known by the natives as ourari . It is believed that the term curare, which describes... 

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