Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2000 11:08:18 +0000 From: schlauer@chemie.uni-wuerzburg.de To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2134$foo@default> Subject: Re: poisonous cp's
Dear Hendrik, Joe et al.,
> Naphtoquinone (C10H6O2) consist of two forms:
> 1,2 naphtaquinone: This form is insol. in water and I
> wonder if it would occur in our plants.
It (or rather a derivative thereof) has so far not been detected in
Nepenthales. (This does not mean that it cannot exist there but
probably the concentrations of this isomer would be very low.)
> Plumbagin (C11H8O3)
>
> The LD50 of plumbagin in mice is 0.015 g/kg! LD50 is
> the lethal dosis for 50% of the mice.(here: 0.015 g
> plumbagin kills 1 kg mouse...just imagine...)
(...)
> I don't know if these compounds are in our CP's, but I
> believe J. Schlauer.
Plumbagin (or its isomer 7-methyljuglone; BTW, plumbagin is
2-methyljuglone) is contained in many cps (_Nepenthes_, _Drosera_,
_Dionaea_, _Aldrovanda_, _Drosophyllum_, _Triphyophyllum_).
Naphthylisoquinolines are only found in a single cp, viz.
_Triphyophyllum peltatum_.
> The question that I have is: In what quantity do these compounds occur?
Up to several milligrams in one kilogram fresh weight. Thus,
obtaining the mentioned 15 mg of plumbagin from VFTs in the lab would
probably also kill one kg (or probably more) of _Dionaea_, before the
substance could kill a single mouse.
Kind regards
Jan
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