alpha-chaconine and tomatidine

Topics: Alkaloids; Animals; Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry; Humans; Light; Solanaceous Alkaloids; Solanine; Tomatine; Vegetables

Reduced liver weight was used to evaluate the potential toxicity in mice of four naturally occurring steroidal glycoalkaloids: alpha-chaconine and alpha-solanine, alpha-tomatine and solasonine. Increased liver weights was used to evaluate the three corresponding steroidal aglycones: solanidine, tomatidine, and solasodine and the non-alkaloid adrenal steroid dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Adult female Swiss-Webster mice were fed diets containing test compound concentrations of 0 (control), 1.2, 2.4 or 4.8 mmol/kg diet for 7, 14 or 28 d. Absolute liver weights (LW) and relative liver weights (liver weight/body weight x 100, %LW/BW) were determined at autopsy. The %LW/BW was lower than that of controls in mice fed the potato glycoalkaloid alpha-chaconine (-10%, P < or = 0.05) for 7 d with the 2.4 mmol/kg diet dose. Under these same conditions, %LW/BW was greater than that of controls in mice fed two aglycones: solanidine (27%, P < or = 0.001) and solasodine (8%, P < or = 0.01). Relative liver weight increases induced by the aglycones were determined under time and dose conditions in which differences in body weight and food consumption were not significant (2.4 mmol/kg diet for 28 d). Under these conditions, the observed %LW/BW increases relative to the controls were as follows: solanidine (32%, P < or = 0.001), solasodine (22%, P < or = 0.001) and DHEA (16%, P < or = 0.001). Solanidine, solasodine and DHEA were equally potent and were more potent than tomatidine. We also observed that the greater %LW/BW in mice fed 2.4 mmol/kg diet solasodine or solanidine for 14 d declined to near control values if they were fed control diets for another 14 d. The increase in relative liver weight induced by solanidine and solasodine is a reversible adaptive response. These findings and the apparent effects of structure on biological activity should serve as a guide for the removal of the most toxic ++compounds from plant foods. The implications of the results for food safety and health are discussed.

Topics: Alkaloids; Animals; Body Weight; Dehydroepiandrosterone; Diosgenin; Eating; Female; Liver; Mice; Organ Size; Plants, Edible; Solanaceous Alkaloids; Solanine; Solanum lycopersicum; Solanum tuberosum; Structure-Activity Relationship; Tomatine; Vegetables

The infectivity of herpes simplex virus Type I in tissue culture was inhibited by prior incubation with aqueous suspensions of glycoalkaloids in order of activity alpha-chaconine greater than alpha-tomatine greater than alpha-solasonine but not by the corresponding aglycones, solanidine, tomatidine and solasodine. However, inhibition was not only dependent on the presence of a sugar moiety since the glycone alpha-solanine was inactive under the conditions used. The glycones, but not the aglycones, showed cytopathic effects on cellular membranes of Vero cells and erythrocytes; therefore, it is suggested that inactivation of virus results from insertion of the glycones into the viral envelope.

Topics: Animals; Cell Line; Cell Membrane; Cell Survival; Chlorocebus aethiops; Diosgenin; Erythrocyte Membrane; Monosaccharides; Sheep; Simplexvirus; Solanaceous Alkaloids; Solanine; Structure-Activity Relationship; Tomatine