Suicidal yew leave ingestion--phloroglucindimethylether (3,5-dimethoxyphenol) as a marker for poisoning from Taxus baccata.
In a case of suicide in a depressive 19-year-old man with considerable ingestion of new leaves, resorption of yew ingredients could be demonstrated. The main substance could be identified as 3,5-dimethoxyphenol, the aglycone of taxicatine, which is a typical ingredient of yew leaves. 3,5-dimethoxyphenol was demonstrated in harvested yew leaves, stomach content and cardiac blood of the victim. Structure confirmation was achieved by means of HPLC, UV, GC-MS, IR and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. None of the Taxus alkoids could be identified. The components detected by TLC have not yet been identified. The results demonstrate that 3,5-dimethoxyphenol can be used as a marker in cases of intoxication by yew ingredients.
Musshoff
F
F
Institute of Legal Medicine, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Jacob
B
B
Fowinkel
C
C
Daldrup
T
T
D000328:Adult; D001283:Atrioventricular Node / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D005766:Gastrointestinal Contents / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D010696:Phloroglucinol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000506:poisoning*; D010939:Plant Poisoning / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D013405:Suicide / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*
D010936:Plant Extracts; C015155:phloroglucinol dimethyl ether; D010696:Phloroglucinol