ALKALOIDS IN DATURA, SECTION BRUGMANSIA

Summary

Scopolamine and meteloidine were major alkaloids of the leaves of the peach flowered Datura (D. Candida sens, lat.) together with smaller quantities of norscopolamine, norhyoscyamine and an unidentified base. Hyoscyamine was not detected in the leaf. The flowers contained scopolamine, norscopolamine and meteloidine, scopolamine being the principal alkaloid. The major alkaloids of the stems were scopolamine, hyoscyamine and meteloidine. Norhyoscyamine and tropine were minor stem alkaloids.

From the roots, (–)3,6–ditigloyloxytropane, 3,6–ditigloyloxytropan–7–ol, scopolamine, hyoscyamine, atropine, norhyoscyamine, meteloidine, tropine and unidentified bases were isolated. The ditigloylesters are present in quantity only in the young roots. Of the ditigloylesters, (–)3,6–ditigloyloxytropane occurred in greatest amount, 3,6–ditigloyloxytropan–7–ol being a minor component of the alkaloids from the young root. Meteloidine was not isolated from mature roots.

Zusammenfassung

Die in Australien als Zierpflanze häufig kultivierte Datura Candida kommt als mögliche Quelle zur industriellen Gewinnung von Scopolamin in Betracht. In den Blättern kommen neben geringeren Mengen von Norscopolamin und Norhyoscyamin hauptsächlich Scopolamin und Meteloidin vor. In den Blüten sind Scopolamin, in den Stengeln Scopolamin, Hyoscyamin und Meteloidin die Hauptalkaloide. In den Wurzeln wurde im Gegensatz zu einigen anderen Datura–Arten Scopolamin in größerer Menge nachgewiesen.