Home Medicine 2 Isoquinoline Alkaloids
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2 Isoquinoline Alkaloids

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Natural Poisons and Venoms
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2 Isoquinoline Alkaloids2.1 Chemistry and BiogenesisThe isoquinoline alkaloids are one of the largest groups of natural substances. Morethan 2,500 representatives are known. They have either an isoquinoline or a 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline ring system as base structural feature. Further rings or ringsystems can be fused. Alkaloids, in which ring A (fused pyridine ring) is extended,e.g., alkaloids of the protopine or rhoeadine type, are also assigned to them (over-views [265, 313, 318, 320,25, 42, 43, 129]).The following types of isoquinoline alkaloids are found in pharmacologically andtoxicologically significant plants:benzylisoquinoline or tetrahydrobenzylisoquinoline type, e.g., papaverine, armepa-vine, coclaurine, higenamine and reticuline (Fig. 2.1, overviews [372,117:IV:p.29,VII:p. 423, X: p. 402; XX: p. 401]),spirobenzylisoquinoline type, e.g., fumaricine, fumariline, fumaritine and parfu-mine (Fig. 2.1, overviews [274, 279,117: XIII: p. 165]),proaporphine type, e.g., amuronine (Fig. 2.1) and amuroline,bisbenzylisoquinoline type, e.g., aromoline, berbamine, calfatimine, chondrocur-arine, chondrocurine, curine, isotetrandine, Nb-norchondrocurine, obamegine,oxyacanthine and (+)-tubocurarine (Fig. 2.1, overviews [120,117: IV: p. 199; VII:p. 439; IX: p. 133; XIII: p. 303, XVI: p. 249, XXX: p. 1]),phthalidisoquinoline and secophthalidisoquinoline type, e.g., adlumidiceine, ao-bamidine, (+)-bicuculline, capnoidine, corlumine,α-hydrastine, narceine, nosca-pine (also known as narcotine) and 5ʹ-desmethylnarcotine (Fig. 2.1, overviews [48,117: IV: p. 167, VII: p. 433, IX: p. 117, XXIV: p. 253]),cularine and secocularine type, e.g., breoganine, cularine, noyaine and secocular-idine (Fig. 2.2, overviews [117: IV: p. 249; X: p. 463, XXIX: p. 287]),aporphine type, e.g., aporheidine, aporheine, boldine, (+)-bulbocapnine, corydine,corytuberine, dicentrine, domesticine, glaucine, isoboldine, isocorydine, (+)-iso-thebaine, magnoflorine,N-methylasimilobine, predicentrine, orientidine and ste-phanine (Fig. 2.2, overviews [55, 124, 306,117: IV: p. 119, IX: p. 1]), the aporphinetype also includes apomorphine, an artifact resulting from exposure of morphineto strong acids,isopavine type, e.g., amurensine andamurensinine (Fig. 2.2, overview [117:XXXI: p. 317]),promorphinane type, e.g., salutaridine,morphinane type, e.g., amurine, codeine, morphine, nudaurine, oripavine andthebaine (Fig. 2.2, overviews [4, 57,117: II: p. 1 and p. 161; VI: p. 219, XIII: p. 1]);heroin (diacetylmorphine, diamorphine), a semisynthetic derivative of morphine,https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111136219-002
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2 Isoquinoline Alkaloids2.1 Chemistry and BiogenesisThe isoquinoline alkaloids are one of the largest groups of natural substances. Morethan 2,500 representatives are known. They have either an isoquinoline or a 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline ring system as base structural feature. Further rings or ringsystems can be fused. Alkaloids, in which ring A (fused pyridine ring) is extended,e.g., alkaloids of the protopine or rhoeadine type, are also assigned to them (over-views [265, 313, 318, 320,25, 42, 43, 129]).The following types of isoquinoline alkaloids are found in pharmacologically andtoxicologically significant plants:benzylisoquinoline or tetrahydrobenzylisoquinoline type, e.g., papaverine, armepa-vine, coclaurine, higenamine and reticuline (Fig. 2.1, overviews [372,117:IV:p.29,VII:p. 423, X: p. 402; XX: p. 401]),spirobenzylisoquinoline type, e.g., fumaricine, fumariline, fumaritine and parfu-mine (Fig. 2.1, overviews [274, 279,117: XIII: p. 165]),proaporphine type, e.g., amuronine (Fig. 2.1) and amuroline,bisbenzylisoquinoline type, e.g., aromoline, berbamine, calfatimine, chondrocur-arine, chondrocurine, curine, isotetrandine, Nb-norchondrocurine, obamegine,oxyacanthine and (+)-tubocurarine (Fig. 2.1, overviews [120,117: IV: p. 199; VII:p. 439; IX: p. 133; XIII: p. 303, XVI: p. 249, XXX: p. 1]),phthalidisoquinoline and secophthalidisoquinoline type, e.g., adlumidiceine, ao-bamidine, (+)-bicuculline, capnoidine, corlumine,α-hydrastine, narceine, nosca-pine (also known as narcotine) and 5ʹ-desmethylnarcotine (Fig. 2.1, overviews [48,117: IV: p. 167, VII: p. 433, IX: p. 117, XXIV: p. 253]),cularine and secocularine type, e.g., breoganine, cularine, noyaine and secocular-idine (Fig. 2.2, overviews [117: IV: p. 249; X: p. 463, XXIX: p. 287]),aporphine type, e.g., aporheidine, aporheine, boldine, (+)-bulbocapnine, corydine,corytuberine, dicentrine, domesticine, glaucine, isoboldine, isocorydine, (+)-iso-thebaine, magnoflorine,N-methylasimilobine, predicentrine, orientidine and ste-phanine (Fig. 2.2, overviews [55, 124, 306,117: IV: p. 119, IX: p. 1]), the aporphinetype also includes apomorphine, an artifact resulting from exposure of morphineto strong acids,isopavine type, e.g., amurensine andamurensinine (Fig. 2.2, overview [117:XXXI: p. 317]),promorphinane type, e.g., salutaridine,morphinane type, e.g., amurine, codeine, morphine, nudaurine, oripavine andthebaine (Fig. 2.2, overviews [4, 57,117: II: p. 1 and p. 161; VI: p. 219, XIII: p. 1]);heroin (diacetylmorphine, diamorphine), a semisynthetic derivative of morphine,https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111136219-002
© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
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