title: Interspecific transfer of pyrrolizidine alkaloids: An unconsidered source of contaminations of phytopharmaceuticals and plant derived commodities.
abstract: Many plant derived commodities contain traces of toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). The main source of these contaminations seems to be the accidental co-harvest of PA-containing weeds. Yet, based on the insights of the newly described phenomenon of the horizontal transfer of natural products, it is very likely that the PA-contaminations may also be due to an uptake of the alkaloids from the soil, previously being leached out from rotting PA-plants. The transfer of PAs was investigated using various herbs, which had been mulched with dried plant material from Senecio jacobaea. All of the acceptor plants exhibited marked concentrations of PAs. The extent and the composition of the imported PAs was dependent on the acceptor plant species. These results demonstrate that PAs indeed are leached out from dried Senecio material into the soil and confirm their uptake by the roots of the acceptor plants and the translocation into the leaves.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Pflanzenbiologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstraße 4, D-38106 Braunschweig, Germany. Electronic address: m.nowak@tu-bs.de.
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nowak
authors.affiliation: Institut für Pflanzenbiologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstraße 4, D-38106 Braunschweig, Germany. Electronic address: c.wittke@tu-bs.de.
authors.forename: Carina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wittke
authors.affiliation: Phytolab, Dutendorferstr. 5-7, D-91487 Vestenbergsgreuth, Germany. Electronic address: ines.lederer@phytolab.de.
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lederer
authors.affiliation: Phytolab, Dutendorferstr. 5-7, D-91487 Vestenbergsgreuth, Germany. Electronic address: bernhard.klier@phytolab.de.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Klier
authors.affiliation: Repha, Alt-Godshorn 87, D-30855 Langenhagen, Germany. Electronic address: m.kleinwaechter@tu-bs.de.
authors.forename: Maik
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kleinwächter
authors.affiliation: Institut für Pflanzenbiologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstraße 4, D-38106 Braunschweig, Germany. Electronic address: d.selmar@tu-bs.de.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Selmar
mesh_terms: D004340:Drug Contamination; D064209:Phytochemicals / Q000032:analysis*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry; D057685:Plant Weeds / Q000737:chemistry*; D011763:Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids / Q000032:analysis*; D012674:Senecio / Q000737:chemistry; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D064209:Phytochemicals; D011763:Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids; D012989:Soil Pollutants
keywords: Contamination; Horizontal transfer of natural products; Plant derived commodities; Pyrrolizidine alkaloids; Ragwort; Senecio