Menispermum cocculus

The picrotoxane sesquiterpenes are a family of natural products from a poisonous berry Menispermum cocculus which were documented as early as the 1600s by Indian natives who used them to stun fish and kill body lice. Trost and coworkers reported an approach to total synthesis of this family based on Pd-catalyzed cycloisomerization [68, 69]. Several synthesis recipes were tested and it was found that a combination of dbpp with a ligand capable of internal proton delivery (dpba) gave the best result and provided a key intermediate 27 for total syntheses of corianin, picrotoxinin, picrotin, and picrotoxate (Scheme 10). 

Menispermaceae Menispermum cocculus (Anamirta cocculus = A. paniculata), India,... 

Menispermaceae Menispermum cocculus (=A. cocculus), India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia Spirastrella inconstans, marine sponge... 

The first picrotoxanes discovered were isolated from the dried seeds of Menispermum cocculus (Anamirta cocculus) (1). Their characteristic features are two y-lactones and an oxrrane. M. cocculus belongs to the Menispermaceae ( moon seed family), which is in the order Ranunculales, and thus part of the primitive eudicots. So far, M. cocculus is the only species of the primitive eudicots recorded to contain picrotoxanes, and this species can be found in India, Sri Lanka, and southeast Asia. 

Cocculus diversifolius, C. thunbergii, Menispermum dauricum, Sinomenium acutum Menispermum dauricum Lycium chinense Hedyotis diffusa... 

Anamirta paniculata (= A. cocculus", Menispermum occulus), Tinomiscium... 

Anamirta paniculata = A. cocculus Menispermum occulus), Tinomiscium philippinense (Menispermaceae) [drupe]... 

This sub-tribe has the largest number of genera (fifteen), eleven of those genera were studied, they are Cocculus, Diploclisia, Legnephora, Limacia, Limaciopsis, Menispermum, Pachygone, Sarcopetalum, Sinomenium, Spirospermum and Strychnopsis. The chemical profiles of the above genera are individually discussed below. 

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