Inter- and intra-specific variation among five Erythroxylum taxa assessed by AFLP. (1/8)
BACKGROUND: and Aims The four cultivated Erythroxylum taxa (E. coca var. coca, E. novogranatense var. novogranatense, E. coca var. ipadu and E. novogranatense var. truxillense) are indigenous to the Andean region of South America and have been cultivated for folk-medicine and, within the last century, for illicit cocaine production. The objective of this research was to assess the structure of genetic diversity within and among the four cultivated alkaloid-bearing taxa of Erythroxylum in the living collection at Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. METHODS: Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting was performed in 86 Erythroxylum accessions using a capillary genotyping system. Cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling (MDS) and analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) were used to assess the pattern and level of genetic variation among and within the taxa. KEY RESULTS: A clear distinction was revealed between E. coca and E. novogranatense. At the intra-specific level, significant differentiation was observed between E. c. var. coca and E. c. var. ipadu, but the differentiation between E. n. var. novogranatense and E. n. var. truxillense was negligible. Erythroxylum c. var. ipadu had a significantly lower amount of diversity than the E. c. var. coca and is genetically different from the E. c. var. ipadu currently under cultivation in Colombia, South America. CONCLUSIONS: There is a heterogeneous genetic structure among the cultivated Erythroxylum taxa where E. coca and E. novogranatense are two independent species. Erythroxylum coca var. coca is most likely the ancestral taxon of E. c. var. ipadu and a founder effect may have occurred as E. c. var. ipadu moved from the eastern Andes in Peru and Bolivia into the lowland Amazonian basin. There is an indication of artificial hybridization in coca grown in Colombia. (+info)Acetophenone diglycosides from Erythroxylum cambodianum. (2/8)
Two new acetophenone diglycosides, erythroxylosides A and B, were isolated from the aerial portion of Erythroxylum cambodianum together with (+)-catechin, (-)-epicatechin, quercetin 3-O-rutinoside, (3S,5R,6R,7E,9S-megastigman-7-ene-3,5,6,9-tetrol 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside and citroside A. The structural elucidations were based on analyses of chemical and spectroscopic data. (+info)Tropane aromatic ester alkaloids from a large-scale re-collection of Erythroxylum pervillei stem bark obtained in Madagascar. (3/8)
Fractionation by pH zone-refining countercurrent chromatography of an extract of the stem bark of Erythroxylum pervillei, obtained on a kilogram scale in southern Madagascar, led to the isolation and characterization of four tropane aromatic ester alkaloids as minor constituents, namely, pervilleines G (5) and H (6) and cis-pervilleines B (7) and F (8). Their structures were determined by spectroscopic data interpretation. (+info)Evaluation of the cholinergic and adrenergic effects of two tropane alkaloids from Erythroxylum pervillei. (4/8)
Pervilleine A is an aromatic ester tropane alkaloid from Erythroxylum pervillei that has shown promising activity as a multidrug resistance inhibitor. Due to its structural similarity with the well known (-)-hyoscyamine and (-)-cocaine, the cholinergic and adrenergic activities of pervilleine A were evaluated. At 30 microm (+/-)-pervilleine A hydrochloride exhibited non-competitive inhibition of the cholinergic response in the guinea-pig ileum and did not affect the carbachol-induced contraction of the rat anococcygeus smooth muscle. (+/-)-Pervilleine A hydrochloride blocked nonspecifically the vascular response of (-)-norepinephrine in the rat aorta ring, while the contractile response of rat vas deferens to (-)-norepinephrine was not affected significantly at a 100 microm concentration. An analogue of pervilleine A, (+/-)-pervilleine H, without a 6-O-trans-3,4,5-trimethoxycinnamoyl ester substituent required for anti-multidrug resistance activity, did not exhibit any effects in these experiments. The data suggest that (+/-)-pervilleine A hydrochloride has weak nonspecific anticholinergic and vascular antiadrenergic activities. The lack of significant cholinergic and adrenergic receptor-mediated activities may be considered advantageous for the further development of pervilleine A as a new adjuvant in cancer chemotherapy. (+info)Two new species of gall midges (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) associated with Erythroxylum ovalifolium Peyr. (Erythroxylaceae) from the Barra de Marica restinga, Marica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (5/8)
(+info)Plant tropane alkaloid biosynthesis evolved independently in the Solanaceae and Erythroxylaceae. (6/8)
(+info)Edge effect and phenology in Erythroxylum tortuosum (Erythroxylaceae), a typical plant of the Brazilian Cerrado. (7/8)
(+info)A remarkable leaf mine induced by Tachygonus sp.n. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Curculioninae: Rhamphini) on Erythroxylum subsessile (Erythroxylaceae) with a description of the new species. (8/8)
(+info)Erythroxylaceae is a family of flowering plants that includes the genus Erythroxylon, which contains the coca plant, a source of cocaine alkaloids, known for their powerful stimulant effects on the human central nervous system.
Erythroxylaceae is a family of flowering plants that includes the genus Erythroxylon, which contains the coca plant (E. coca and E. novogranatense). The coca plant is native to western South America and is well-known for containing cocaine alkaloids in its leaves. Cocaine is a powerful stimulant drug that has been used for medical purposes but is also widely abused illegally.
Erythroxylaceae plants are typically small trees or shrubs found in tropical regions of the world, particularly in South America and Africa. The family includes around 200 species, most of which have simple, opposite leaves and small, greenish flowers. Some species of Erythroxylum produce edible fruits that are used locally as food sources.
It's worth noting that while the coca plant is the most famous member of this family due to its association with cocaine, the vast majority of plants in Erythroxylaceae do not contain any significant amounts of psychoactive compounds.