Mucuna Species

Szabo, N.J. 2003. Indolealkylamines in Mucuna species. Trap. Subtrop. Agroecosys. 1 295-307. 

A procedure for the isolation of L-dopa from Mucuna seed has been reported. Of the nine species examined eight gave recovery of 3.1 to 6.1% from mature seeds (116). 

L-Canavanine (88), a nonprotein amino acid in legumes such as jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis (L.) DC.), has been shown to inhibit growth of susceptible plant species.53 L-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA, 89) has been isolated as an allelochemical from a cover crop, velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. var. utilis).54... 

Histamine (11) and serotonin (3) are found in the stinging hairs of several species such as Cnidoscolus texams (Eu-phorbiaceae), Mucuna pruriens (Fabaceae), and Urtica di-oica (Urticaceae), as well as vegetative materials of Cnidoscolus urens, and fruits of the banana, Musa sapentium (Lookadoo and Pollard, 1991 Seigler and Bloomfield, unpublished data Smith, 1980). 

Non-protein amino acids have previously been implicated in allelopathy. For example, mimosine has been associated with allelopathy of the legume tree Leucaena leucocephala [168]. l-DOPA, a compound structurally related to uj-tyrosine (Fig. 5), has been implicated in allelopathy of Mucuna pruriens ([158] and Section Rice Allelochemicals). Roots of pea (Pisum sativa) exude j3-(3-isoxazolin-5-on-2yl)-alanine which inhibits root growth on nonlegume plant species [169], although this non-protein amino acid is much less phytotoxic than m-tyrosine. 

Gastrointestinal Some flowering plants contain levodopa, which is converted to dopamine in the intestinal mucosa and the liver. Dopamine then acts on dopamine receptors to cause nausea, vomiting, arrhythmias, and hypotension. Mucuna gigantea is one such Hawaiian species. A case in which the patient presents with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting after the legume ingestion has been reported [67 ]. 

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