retrorsine and senkirkine

Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are feeding deterrents and toxic compounds to generalist herbivores. Among the PAs of Jacobaea vulgaris Gaertn, jacobine and erucifoline are the most effective against insect herbivores as indicated by correlative studies. Because little is known about the effect of jacobine and erucifoline as individual PAs, we isolated these compounds from their respective Jacobaea chemotypes. These PAs and other commercially available senecionine-like PAs, including senecionine, seneciphylline, retrorsine, and senkirkine, were tested as free base and N-oxide forms at a range of 0-70 ppm. Feeding bioassays using live insects are closer to the natural pattern but require relatively large amounts of test compounds. We, therefore, compared the toxicity of PAs using both Spodoptera exigua cell line and larval injection bioassays. Both bioassays led to similar results in the order of PA toxicity, indicating that the cell lines are a valuable tool for a first toxicity screen. Testing individual PAs, jacobine and erucifoline were the most toxic PAs, suggesting their major role in plant defense against generalist herbivores. Senkirkine and seneciphylline were less toxic than jacobine and erucifoline but more toxic than retrorsine. Senecionine was not toxic at the tested concentrations. For all toxic PAs, the free base form was more toxic than the N-oxide form. Our results demonstrate that structural variation of PAs influences their effectiveness in plant defense.

Topics: Animals; Biological Assay; Cell Line; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Herbivory; Larva; Oxides; Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids; Spodoptera; Structure-Activity Relationship

Changes in plant chemical defenses after invasion could have consequences on the invaded ecosystems by modifying the interactions between plants and herbivores and facilitating invasion success. However, no comprehensive biogeographical studies have yet determined the phenotypic levels of plant chemical defenses, as consumed by local herbivores, covering large distributional areas of a species. Senecio pterophorus is a perennial shrub native to Eastern South Africa, expanded into Western South Africa and introduced into Australia and Europe. As other Asteraceae, S. pterophorus contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) toxic to vertebrate and invertebrate herbivores. Here we analyzed S. pterophorus PAs by LC-MS/MS on foliage sampled across its entire distributional range, including the native and all non-native areas. PA concentrations and diversity was very high: we found 57 compounds belonging to 6 distinct necine base-types, including the highly toxic 1,2-unsaturated PAs (retronecine and otonecines) and the less toxic 1,2-saturated PAs (platynecine and rosmarinecines). Plants from different origins diverged in their PA absolute and relative concentrations. Rosmarinine was the most abundant compound in Australia and South Africa, but it was nearly absent in Europe. We characterized three plant chemotypes: retrorsine-senkirkine chemotype in Eastern South Africa, rosmarinine chemotype in Australia and Western South Africa, and acetylseneciphylline chemotype in Europe. PA absolute concentrations were highest in Australia. The increased absolute and relative concentrations of retronecine PAs from Australia and Europe, respectively, indicate that S. pterophorus is potentially more toxic in the invasive range than in the native range.

Topics: Australia; Ecosystem; Europe; Herbivory; Molecular Structure; Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids; Senecio; South Africa

A study of the hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) contained in Packera candidissima (Greene) Weber & Löve (Senecio candidissimus Greene), a Mexican medicinal plant used for the treatment of kidney ailments and noted for its antiseptic properties, is reported. Analysis by TLC and GC-MS have shown the presence in high levels of both PAs and their N-oxides in the root (0.76% dry weight) and the aerial parts (0.36% dry weight) of the plant material. GC-MS analysis showed the presence of senecionine, integerrimine, retrorsine, and usaramine in the aerial parts. The root was found to contain senkirkine as the major component. These results indicate that users of this herb are at high risk of poisoning, especially members of certain cultural groups in Northern Mexico and the Hispanic population in the southwestern United States. In addition, two sesquiterpenes, neoadenostylone and epineoadenostylone were identified from the neutral extracts of this plant material. The 6 alpha-angeloyloxy-9-oxo-delta 10(1)-furanoeremophilane is reported for the first time as a natural product.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Carcinogens; Chemical Fractionation; Chromatography, Thin Layer; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Humans; Kidney Diseases; Liver; Medicine, Traditional; Mexico; Plant Extracts; Plants, Medicinal; Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids; Sesquiterpenes; Ulcer