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Atropine Bio Synthesis
Atropine Bio Synthesis
ATROPINE
Introduction
Atropine is a natural alkaloid originally extracted from Atropa belladonna (Figure 1) and then
found in others plants of the family Solanaceae. It is a drug with a wide range of effects in
humans including anesthesia, anti-arhythmia, bronchodilatation, mydriasis and
parasympathicolysis. Brand names of atropine include Atropair, Atropen, Atropine sulfate,
Atropinol and Atropisol (University of Alberta database - DrugBank , Wikipedia)
History
The term “alkaloid” derives from the Arabic al-qali, the plant from which soda was first
obtained. Alkaloids are nitrogenous compounds that constitute the pharmacologically active
principles of several flowering plants. The use of alkaloid-containing plant extracts as potions,
medicines, and poisons date back to the start of civilization. Famous examples include Socrates’
death in 399 B.C. by ingestion of hemlock (scientific name Conium maculatum). Medieval
european women utilized extracts of deadly nightshade (the common name of Atropa
belladonna) for the same purpose, hence the name “belladonna” (Alkaloid biosynthesis - The
basis for metabolic engineering of medicinal plants, 1995)
Biochemistry
Atropine is a racemic mixture of equal parts of D- and L-hyoscyamine (Figure 2). Hyoscyamine
(IUPAC name: (1R,3S,5S)-8-methyl-8azabicyclo [3.2.1] octan-3-yl 3-hydroxy-2-
phenylpropanoate) is a compound with molecular weight of 289 Da and chemical formula C 17 H
23 NO 3