Chemistry, biochemistry and chemotaxonomy of lupine alkaloids in the leguminosae

Abstract

Publisher Summary The lupin(e) alkaloids are a group of alkaloids possessing quinolizidine ring or piperidine ring in molecules. This group of compounds comprises ca. 200 structurally related alkaloids that represent 2% of the 10000 known alkaloids in nature. These alkaloids are distributed in the family Leguminosae, subfamily Papilionoideae (Lotoideae, Faboideae, Papilionatae)—in particular, in the species in more primitive tribes of the Papilionoideae, but not in the other subfamilies Caesalpinioideae or Mimosoideae. These alkaloids are of importance to mankind because they are toxic to human and livestock, and some of these alkaloids show pharmacological activities. Several lupin-alkaloid containing plants have been used as sources of crude drugs in Chinese and Japanese traditional medicine. In these traditional medicinal plants, lupin alkaloids are proven to be the principal constituents responsible for the pharmacological activities found in these herbal medicines. Besides their pharmacological activities, inhibitory activities for larval feeding of insects and for plant germination have been evaluated in the chapter.