Three ergoline alkaloids producing Claviceps strains easily formed protoplasts when treated with snail digestive extract ex Helix pomatia. Colonies obtained after regeneration of protoplasts were monitored for alkaloid production. Among the regenerated progeny strains could be iso­ lated which differ considerably in the quantity of ergolines and the composition of the alkaloid mixture compared ...

A new Erythrina alkaloid glycoside, named erythraline-11β-O-glucopyranoside, was isolated from the seeds of Erythrina crista-galli L., together with five known Erythrina alkaloids and an indole alkaloid. The structure of the new alkaloid glycoside was elucidated by spectroscopic methods, and all of the compounds were evaluated for their antiviral activity against tobacco mosaic virus.

Recent advances in the cell, developmental, and molecular biology of alkaloid biosynthesis have heightened our appreciation for the complexity and importance of plant secondary pathways. Several biosynthetic genes involved in the formation of tropane, benzylisoquinoline, and terpenoid indole alkaloids have now been isolated. The early events of signal perception, the pathways of signal transduc...

Mitragyna speciosa Korth. leaves have been traditionally used by Malay and Thai natives for its opiumlike effect and coca-like stimulant ability to enhance tolerance for hard work. Mitragynine is the major indole alkaloid in this plant. In the present study, we investigated the effects of the alkaloid extract of M. speciosa leaves and its major alkaloid mitragynine on exploratory behaviour, sho...

The tropane alkaloid anisodamine ( 2) is obtained by 6 beta-hydroxylation of hyoscyamine ( 1). The application of this alkaloid in medicine is gaining attention due to the wide range of therapeutic applications described in addition to its anticholinergic activity. In this work, the production of anisodamine ( 2) by IN VITRO cultures of BRUGMANSIA CANDIDA (Argentinean and Colombian samples) was...

In the last decades, data on the content of toxic alkaloids in ergot and the relationship of the ergot contamination in rye and the alkaloid content in ergot has been scarce. Therefore, the level of ergot contamination (g/kg rye) and the alkaloid contents (mg/kg ergot) of ergot grown on 7, 21 and 24 artificially infected rye varieties at three German locations in 2002, 2003 and 2004 were determ...

This article presents a historical review of mathematics education since the late 1950s in the United States. Three themes are used to organize the literature reviewed in the article: (a) broad sociopolitical forces, particularly highly publicized educational policy statements; (b) trends in mathematics research; and (c) theories of learning and instruction. At times, these themes coincide, as ...

Ergot alkaloids are pharmaceutically and agriculturally important secondary metabolites produced by several species of fungi. Ergot alkaloid pathways vary among different fungal lineages, but the pathway intermediate chanoclavine-I is evolutionarily conserved among ergot alkaloid producers. At least four genes, dmaW, easF, easE, and easC, are necessary for pathway steps prior to chanoclavine-I;...

BACKGROUND The diagnosis of hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (HSOS) induced by pyrrolizidine alkaloids is mainly based on clinical investigation. There is currently no prognostic index. This study evaluated the quantitative measurement of blood pyrrole-protein adducts (PPAs) as a diagnostic and prognostic index for pyrrolizidine alkaloid-induced HSOS. METHODS Suspected drug-induced liv...