ABSTRACT
A phytochemical study of dart and arrow poison from the Matis tribe led to the identification of D-(-)-quinic acid, L-malic acid, ethyldimethylamine, magnoflorine, and five new bisbenzyltetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids (BBIQAs), 1-5. D-Tubocurarine could not be identified among these products. BBIQA (3) contains a unique linkage at C-8 and C-11'. All structures were characterized by a combination of NMR and HRESIMS data. The effects of Matis poison and individual BBIQAs (1-3) on rat muscle nAChR expressed in Xenopus oocytes have been investigated using the two-electrode voltage clamp technique.
Subject(s)
Alkaloids/isolation & purification , Curare/isolation & purification , Tubocurarine/isolation & purification , Alkaloids/pharmacology , Animals , Curare/chemistry , Molecular Structure , Oocytes/drug effects , Poisons/pharmacology , Rats , Tubocurarine/pharmacologyABSTRACT
A procedure is described for quantitative extraction of tubocurarine, gallamine, and decamethonium from blood, urine, and tissue. Ion pairs of the drugs are formed with picric acid and are extracted into a dichloromethane/1-pentanol solvent. Qualitative analysis of the extract is effected using thin-layer chromatography. Quantitative analysis is accomplished by elution of TLC areas containing the drug, formation of the ion pair with sodium 9,10-dimethoxyanthracene-2-sulfonate, and analysis of the ion pair by spectrophotofluorometry.
