Phenylethylamines peyote

A number of very important natural and synthetic biochemicals belong to the phenylethylamine family. Two of these compounds, dopamine and epinephrine (adrenaline), are neurotransmitters, substances that carry chemical messages through the nervous system of humans and other animals. A third phenylethylamine, tyrosine, is an essential amino acid. And a familiar phenylethylamine found in plants is mescaline, whose chemical name is 2-(3,4,5-trimethoxy-phenyl)ethylamine. The primary natural sources of mescaline are four varieties of cactus two peyote species (Lophophora wiUiamsii and Lophophora diffusa), the San Pedro cactus (Trichocereus pacha-noi), and the Peruvian Torch cactus (Trichocereus peruvianus). 

Aromatic amino acids that originate from the shikimate pathway also act as precursors to many alkaloids. Alkaloids that contain a phenylethylamine moiety are derived from L-tyrosine or its oxidation product L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA). Mescaline (N7) originating from the latter amino acid is known to occur in several cacti and is responsible for the hallucinogenic activity of peyote (Lophophora williamsii, Cactaceae). Lophocerine is a tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid derived from L-dopamine and found to occur in a different Lophophora species, L. schotti. 

Cactus alkaloids. About 2000 cactus species (stem succulents) of tropical and subtropical desert areas are known, some of which contain h lucinogenic principles, e. g., Lophophora species indigenous to Mexico together with other hallucinogenic cacti the latter are known as peyote (see Lophophora alkaloids). They contain ca. 5% alkaloids such as mescaline, anhalo-nine, lophophorine, pellotine, etc., mainly isoquinoline alkaloids, and phenylethylamine alkaloids. 

Lophophora alkaloids. Alkaloids from the Mexican Lophophora cacti ( peyote) cultivated as ornamental cacti in Europe, see cactus alkaloids. The plants contain ca. 5% of alkaloids, mainly phenylethylamine alkaloids and simple isoquinoline derivatives. Their best known property is the generation of colored hallucinations and other sensory changes. The most toxic alkaloid of this group is lophophorine (see Anhalonium alkaloids). 

Peyote, Lophophora williamsii, appears to be the most prolific cactus, in terms of alkaloid production. In addition to mescaline and other 3-phenylethylamines, this cactus contains anhalamine (1), anhaladine (10), anhalonidine (11), pellotine (2), anhalanine (12), anhalonine (13), lophophorine (14), and O-methylanhalonidine (Lundstrom, 1983). 

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