Curare Alkaloids: Constituents of a Matis Dart Poison

J Nat Prod. 2015 Nov 25;78(11):2537-44. doi: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5b00457. Epub 2015 Oct 23.

Abstract

A phytochemical study of dart and arrow poison from the Matis tribe led to the identification of D-(-)-quinic acid, L-malic acid, ethyldimethylamine, magnoflorine, and five new bisbenzyltetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids (BBIQAs), 1-5. D-Tubocurarine could not be identified among these products. BBIQA (3) contains a unique linkage at C-8 and C-11'. All structures were characterized by a combination of NMR and HRESIMS data. The effects of Matis poison and individual BBIQAs (1-3) on rat muscle nAChR expressed in Xenopus oocytes have been investigated using the two-electrode voltage clamp technique.

MeSH terms

  • Alkaloids / isolation & purification*
  • Alkaloids / pharmacology
  • Animals
  • Curare / chemistry
  • Curare / isolation & purification*
  • Molecular Structure
  • Oocytes / drug effects
  • Poisons / pharmacology
  • Rats
  • Tubocurarine / isolation & purification*
  • Tubocurarine / pharmacology

Substances

  • Alkaloids
  • Poisons
  • Curare
  • Tubocurarine