Alkaloid diversity in Galanthus elwesii and Galanthus nivalis.
Seventy alkaloids of galanthamine, lycorine, homolycorine, tazettine, haemanthamine, narciclasine, and tyramine types were detected by GC/MS in 25 Galanthus elwesii and seven Galanthus nivalis populations, collected from different locations in Bulgaria. Intraspecies diversity in the alkaloid profiles regarding the main alkaloid types (chemotypes) was observed. Tyramine-type protoalkaloids (namely, hordenine and its derivatives) were dominant in 19 populations of G. elwesii. In other populations of G. elwesii, the plants accumulated mainly homolycorine-, lycorine-, and galanthamine-type alkaloids. The alkaloid profiles of G. nivalis were dominated by narciclasine-, galanthamine-, lycorine-, haemanthamine-, or tazettine-type compounds. Geographical distribution of chemotypes indicated a relationship between populations, since adjacent populations often displayed similar alkaloid profiles. The results from year-to-year sampling and transplantation experiments imply genetic determination of alkaloid synthesis in the two studied species of Galanthus.
Departament de Productes Naturals, Biologia Vegetal i Edafologia, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII s/n, Barcelona, Spain. berkov_str@yahoo.com
Strahil
S
Berkov
Jaume
J
Bastida
Borjana
B
Sidjimova
Francesc
F
Viladomat
Carles
C
Codina
D000470:Alkaloids / Q000737:chemistry*; D047151:Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids / Q000737:chemistry; D005702:Galantamine / Q000737:chemistry; D027801:Galanthus / Q000737:chemistry*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D010617:Phenanthridines / Q000737:chemistry
D000470:Alkaloids; D047151:Amaryllidaceae Alkaloids; D010617:Phenanthridines; D005702:Galantamine; C010753:narciclasine; C462104:hemanthamine; C057585:homolycorine; C011361:tazettine; C015330:lycorine