title: Sanguinarine, a phototoxic H2O2-producing alkaloid.
abstract: Sanguinarine chloride, a quaternary salt of a benzophenanthrene alkaloid, was phototoxic to catalase-deficient strains of Escherichia coli but not to Trichoplusia ni (cabbage looper moth larvae), an insect with high levels of catalase activity. Chemical analyses confirm that sanguinarine is an efficient producer of H2O2. This differential toxicity suggests that the mode of phototoxic action involves production of H2O2 which could be detoxified in many organisms by catalase.
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Tuveson
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Marley
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Berenbaum
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D053119:Benzophenanthridines; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000528:radiation effects; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide; D007546:Isoquinolines; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010777:Photochemistry; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D053119:Benzophenanthridines; D007546:Isoquinolines; C005705:sanguinarine; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide