Chapter 1 Lupine Alkaloids

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter deals with aspects of the occurrence, the spectroscopic characteristics, and the chemical properties of lupine alkaloids that have been isolated. It includes newly proposed biosynthetic pathway, biotechnological studies, a summary of biological activities, and a discussion of chemotaxonomic aspects of the leguminous plants which accumulate lupine alkaloids. More than 200 naturally occurring lupine alkaloids are known, most of which have been isolated from leguminous plants, especially the subfamily Papilionaceae. A considerable number of lupine-type alkaloids have been found in Papaveraceae, Berberidaceae, Solanaceae, Compositae, Chenopodiaceae, Nymphaeaceae, Ranunculaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Ericaceae, Monimiaceae, Adociidae, and Rubiaceae. The leguminous plants that accumulate the common lupine alkaloids are divided into three main groups: plants which produce the matrine, the lupinine, and the cytisine/sparteine-type alkaloids. There are the Muackia species and a few other species that produce rare bases. Although there is at present no useful drug derived from the lupine alkaloids, except for (+)-sparteine that serves as an oxytociduterotonic, the newly found pharmacological properties of the lupine alkaloids.