Plant Alkaloids Toxicity
Abstract
Plant chemistry and toxicology are complex fields with a rich history. Much of plant chemistry remains incompletely characterized, and current understanding derives from animal research combined with documented human experience. The dynamic science of pharmacognosy, which highlights the therapeutic value of plants, has elucidated several major classes of organic molecules found in plants, with alkaloids representing one such class. Other major classes include phenols and phenylpropanoids; terpenes and resins; glycosides; and proteins, peptides, and lectins. Plant alkaloids comprise a diverse group of secondary plant metabolites exemplified by familiar compounds, such as nicotine, caffeine, cocaine, mescaline, ephedrine, and strychnine. Plant alkaloids are generally defined as basic compounds containing 1 or more nitrogen atoms within a heterocyclic structure. Plant alkaloids typically exhibit potent pharmacologic activity and serve as components of plant chemical defense systems. A given plant species may contain 1, a few, or many alkaloids, as observed in Papaveraceae (poppy) and Solanaceae (nightshade). Most plant alkaloids in pure form are nonvolatile, colorless crystalline solids with a bitter taste. Plant alkaloids possess both toxic and therapeutic properties, as illustrated by the antineoplastic effects of the vinca alkaloids and the genotoxic effects of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Additional examples include disruption of cholinergic neurotransmission by hyoscyamine and the therapeutic potential of the procholinergic agent galantamine in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer disease. In certain cases, an alkaloid may serve as an antidote to another alkaloid with toxic properties. Advances in chemistry, repurposing, and metabolic engineering have enabled broad exploitation of plant alkaloids for medicinal applications since the discovery of morphine. Such applications include the treatment of pain (eg, morphine, cocaine), fever (eg, quinine), malignancy (eg, vinblastine, berberine), asthma (eg, ephedrine), dysrhythmias (eg, quinidine), hyperglycemia (eg, piperine), hypertension (eg, reserpine), and bacterial infections (eg, ciprofloxacin). This activity synthesizes available evidence to highlight the toxic effects of these metabolites, exposure to which may result in disease.
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