THE BIOGENESIS OF ALKALOIDS: XXIV. THE ROLE OF CITRIC ACID IN THE BIOGENESIS OF HYOSCYAMINE

Abstract
It is known that ornithine is a precursor of the pyrrolidine ring present in hyoscyamine. It was assumed that citric acid might be the precursor of the remaining three carbons that complete the tropine ring structure. To test this assumption 3-14C-citric acid was fed to Daturastramonium plants. The hyoscyamine isolated from these plants was radioactive, but the activity was very low. It must be concluded that citric acid, although it can be used to a small extent, is not the normal precursor of the chain of three carbons attached to the pyrrolidine ring in hyoscyamine.

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