Picrotoxanes Picrodendraceae

The most thorough examination of a species in the Picrodendraceae was conducted by Koike, Ohmoto, and coworkers on P. baccatum (36,46,53-56,77,78). This tree is endemic to the West Indies. The plants investigated by the authors were harvested in the Botanical Garden of Bogor, Indonesia in 1986. In the next 15-20 years this Japanese group isolated 9 monolactone sesquiterpenes and 19 norditerpene picrotoxanes from this plant material. At first, these researchers examined a relatively small sample of the bark of the tree to determine the structural type of the toxins. Thus, 1.2 kg of dried bark were extracted successively with n-hexane. 

The only mention of a Picrodendraceae species as a remedy in folk medicine is the use of Celaenodendron mexicanum as antiseptic 48, 257). The only known Phyllanthaceae species containing picrotoxanes, M. floribunda, is used in Cameroon against filarial and stomach disorders 248) and its bark is used in Congo (Brazzaville) as remedy against leprosy 258). 

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