Alkaloids from Papaver albiflorum PACZ. subsp. albiflorum and P. cf. stevenianum A. D. Mikheev

Abstract

Papaver albiflorum PACZ. subsp. albiflorum (tetraploid, 2n = 28; total alkaloid content 0.001%) afforded corytuberine, protopine and allocryptopine as dominant alkaloids; in addition, small amounts of macambrine, thebaine, scoulerine, rhoeadine, papaverrubines D, C, A and E, berberine and coptisine were detected. Papaver cf. stevenianum A. D. MIKHEEV (hexaploid, 2n = 42; total alkaloid content 0.066% and 0.015%, respectively) gave berberine as the principal alkaloid (0.065% and 0.013, respectively) which was responsible for the yellow colour of latex. Corytuberine, allocryptopine, protopine and isocorydine were isolated as minor alkaloids and small amounts of corydine, mecambrine, thebaine, scoulerine, papaverrubines D, C, A and E, coptisine, cis-N-methylcanadinium hydroxide and N-methylthebainium hydroxide were detected. Alkaloid PHC 1, isolated recently as minor constituent from Papaver rhoeas var. chelidonioides O. KUNTZE, has been shown to be identical with isorhoeagenine.