Ranunculaceae

Alkaloids occur chiefly in flowering plants, especially in the Ranunculaceae, Papavera-ceae and Solanaceae, but are widespread... 

The indazole alkaloid Nigellidine (269) (Scheme 88) which was described as a zwitterion, was detected in the seeds of Nigella saliva L. (Ranunculaceae) (95TL1993), which is an erect annual plant found in South Asia and is widely cultivated. The seeds are commonly believed to have carminative, stimulatory and diaphoretic properties (75PHA2759). An X-ray single crystal analysis was performed on the methyl chloride. It is... 

Dodd, S. C. and Helenurm, K. 2000. Floral variation in Delphinium variegatum (Ranunculaceae). Madrono 47 116-126. 

Protoanemonin Several Ranunculacea sp. Inhibits seed germination... 

The pseudobenzylisoquinoline alkaloids are fairly widespread in nature, being found among members of Berberidaceae, Annonaceae, Fumariaceae, and Ranunculaceae. The biogenesis of the pseudobenzylisoquinoline alkaloids assumes their formation from protoberberinium salts by C-8—C-8a bond scission in a Baeyer-Villiger-type oxidative rearrangement to produce the enamides of type 73 and 74. These amides may be further biotransformed either to rugosinone (76) type alkaloids by hydrolytic N-deformylation followed by oxidation or to ledecorine (75) by enzymatic reduction. These transformations were corroborated by in vitro studies (80-82). It is suggested that enamide seco alkaloids may be precursors of aporphine alkaloids (80), on one hand, and of cularine alkaloids (77), on the other. 

A list of the secobisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids with their species of origin is included in Table VIII. The secobisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids have mainly been found among members of the family Berberidaceae, less frequently in the Annonaceae, and in only a single case in the Ranunculaceae. In Table IX some of the physical data and spectral features of secobisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids are presented. 

There is a long history of the use of Aconitum, Delphinium and Consolida species as the source of poisons and medicinals [1]. These three genera in Ranunculaceae family yield diterpenoid and norditerpenoid alkaloids. The name Delphinium derived from dolphine-delphine due to the shape of their flower buds [2]. Aconitum has an evil reputation from the antiquity [3]. The plant was used as poison in old Greece, also in north-west Pacific the natives used it to poison the whales and also as arrow poison. In England in the ancient times the plant was used against wolves, boars, tigers as well as against rodents, and it was also a homicide material [4]. 

Quinolizidine alkaloids (QA) are thought to be typical natural products of many Leguminosae (1-3) but a few isolated occurrences have been reported also in unrelated families, e.g. Chenopodiaceae ( 1 ), Berberidaceae ( ), Papaveraceae ( ), Scrophulariaceae ( ), Santalaceae ( ), Solanaceae ( ), and Ranunculaceae (J ). These observations could indicate that the genes for QA biosynthesis are probably not restricted to the Leguminosae but are widely distributed in the plant kingdom however, they are only rarely expressed in the other families. We could support this belief by recent experiments using plant cell suspension cultures. A short-term and transientQA formation could be detected after induction even in "QA-free" species, such as Daucus, Spinacia, Conium, and Symphytum (6). 

Quinolizidine alkaloids (lupine alkaloids) occur in the family Leguminosae, especially the subfamily Papilionaceae. They are also found in some species of other families such as Chenopodiaceae, Berberidaceae, Papaveraceae, Nymphaeaceae, Ranunculaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Solanaceae, Compositae, Rubiaceae, Monimiaceae, Ericaceae, and Adociidae. 

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