Abstract
Cell culture of alkaloid-bearing plants comprises a great number of physiologically active compounds. The majority of alkaloids are derived from protein amino acids, for example, aromatic amino acids or related compounds, such as anthranilic acid and nicotinic acid. In some cases, alkaloids are of mixed origin. This means that fragments besides amino acids are also involved in alkaloid formation. The carbon skeleton of the isoprenoid alkaloids is solely derived from mevalonic acid. These pseudoalkaloids often co-occur with structurally related terpenoids and steroids. This chapter discusses the formation and metabolism of nitrogen-containing terpenoids, and steroids in plant cells and tissue cultures. Terpenoid alkaloids can be divided into groups based on the number of mevalonate units involved in their biosynthesis—namely, mono-, sesqui-, di-, and triterpenoid alkaloids. The most prominent alkaloids derived from a triterpenoid nucleus are the steroid alkaloids. Steroid alkaloids have been found to occur in four families—Solanaceae, Liliaceae, Apocynaceae, and Buxaceae.
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