Norlittorine and norhyoscyamine identified as products of littorine and hyoscyamine metabolism by (13)C-labeling in Datura innoxia hairy roots.

Mohamad Houssam Al Balkhi, Séverine Schiltz, David Lesur, Arnaud Lanoue, Anne Wadouachi, Michèle Boitel-Conti

Index: Phytochemistry 74 , 105-14, (2012)

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Abstract

The presence of two compounds, norlittorine and norhyoscyamine, has been reported in leaves and roots of Datura innoxia; however their metabolic origin in the tropane alkaloid pathway has remained unknown. Precise knowledge of this pathway is a necessary pre-requisite to optimize the production of hyoscyamine and scopolamine in D. innoxia hairy root cultures. The exact structure of norlittorine and norhyoscyamine was confirmed by LC-MS/MS and NMR analyses. Isotopic labeling experiments, using [1-(13)C]-phenylalanine, [1'-(13)C]-littorine and [1'-(13)C]-hyoscyamine, combined with elicitor treatments, using methyl jasmonate, coronalon and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid, were used to investigate the metabolic origin of the N-demethylated tropane alkaloids. The results suggest that norlittorine and norhyoscyamine are induced under stress conditions by conversion of littorine and hyoscyamine. We propose the N-demethylation of tropane alkaloids as a mechanism to detoxify cells in overproducing conditions.Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.