1、Atropa belladonna:,The deadly nightshade,Taxonomy,Kingdom: Plantae Class: Magnoliophyta Order: Solanales Family: Solanaceae Genus: Atropa Species: A. belladonna,Taxonomy (cont.),Atropa From the Greek God Atropos One of the fates that cut the thread of life Belladonna “Beautiful Lady” in Italian Comm
2、on Names: Deadly Nightshade Devils Herb Apples of Sodom Same family as the potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, tobacco, chili peppers, etc.,Morphology & Botanical Relationships,Low growing perennial herb/shrub that grows 2-6 ft tall Not hardy perennial Sensitive to being transplanted Thick root Leaves Si
3、mple, alternate,Morphology & Botanical Relationships (cont.),Flowers Solitary bell-shaped (drooping and tubular) 5-lobe Dull red-purple or greenish purple Fruit Glossy, purple-black berries Green berries turn purplish-black as plant matures,Species Distribution,Native to Eurasia Naturalized in many
4、parts of the world Cultivated/harvested in US: California, Oregon, Washington, Michigan, New Jersey, New York Some farms even export to Europe,Habitat,Seeds are small: about 10,000 plants will germinate from 1-2oz of seed Germination takes up to several weeks In warm, moist, sterile soil Plant requi
5、res: rich, moist plenty of fertilizer weed free environment,Habitat (cont.),Landscape in flower gardens as herbaceous flowering ornamental May even be considered a weed in some areas Plant is usually high yielding But susceptible to wilt disease caused by potato beetle and flea beetle,Active Compoun
6、ds,Tropane AlkaloidsAtropine Hyoscyamine ScopolamineC17H23NO3 C17H23NO3 C17H21NO4,History of Uses,Attributed to the Bacchanalian orgies Women tear off clothes, go into frenzied dances and literally throw themselves at men Used in witches brew and flying ointments Anointed broomstick,History of Uses
7、(cont.),Romans used plant as a “weapon” Contaminated enemies food storage Used to poison the troops of Marcus Antonius during the Parthian Wars. Scottish troops used it during a truce to subdue the invading Danes. Legend: Scottish troops put belladonna into enemies liquor supply Waited for enemies t
8、o fall asleep and then kill them,History of Uses (cont.),“Truth serum” in the old days Used in many legal battles and court cases Cosmetics: Spanish and Italian Women Extracts used as eye drops to dilate pupils, giving pupils a more intense, hypnotic, and attractive appeal Because pupil dilate when
9、people are aroused; therefore, making eye contact more intense,History of Uses (cont.),Pain reducer: 1992: Scopolamine added to morphine to cause “twilight sleep” Lessened the pain and mortality of childbirth Life saver: In 1943 (WWII), the Germans had developed a nerve gas in which Atropa (atropine
10、) was the only antidote In Tijuana Mexico (1967), people poisoned by insecticide parathion - when they ate the bread that was exposed to the chemical Use of atropine saved many lives,Uses in Medicine,Slows action of smooth muscle system Parkinsons symptoms Irregularities in heart rate Dilates pupils
11、 Reduces salivation Stomach and bladder cramps Helps to relax pre-surgery patients,Uses in Medicine Cont.,Combats infection and decreases pain when combined with methylene blue, phenyl salicylate, and benzoic acid. Prevents nausea and vomiting caused by motion sickness Counteracts the effects of ner
12、ve gas.,Recent Studies,Study done in 2006 Older patients who could not reach their target heart rate were given atropine. Control group did not receive atropine when they did not reach their target heart rate. Those who received atropine were able to reach their target heart rate while the control g
13、roup was not.,Recent Studies,2007 SingaporeOne group of children received atropine eye drops in one eyewhile the other eye was allowed to progress naturally. Second, control group was given saline eye drops. The eye in which the experimental group received the atropine eye drops was found to stop my
14、opic progression while the other eye progressed naturally. The control group saw no such benefits from their saline eye drops.,Effects on Humans,Increased/rapid heart rate Fits of laughter Inability to urinate Dilated pupils Dryness of mouth Nausea, vomiting Muscle failure Exhaustion,Signs of Overdo
15、se,Stop perspiring Rise in body temperature Inability to see or blurred vision Hallucinations Flushed skin Confusion Coma Death,Harvesting and Processing,- Harvested at full bloom- Can be harvested as soon as the first year of growth (1crop obtained)- Continue harvesting for 2-4 years (2-3 crops) -
16、Once plant is two years old, can harvest twice a year: June and September. After fourth year, all of plant is cut down and new seeds are planted Because there is no further increase in alkaloid content,Harvesting and Processing Cont.,- For the first few years all of the plant save for the last inch
17、or so is cut away. - The harvested portions of the plant are allowed to dry in the sun. Chemical extraction and isolation result in the production of atropine. Atropine sulfate is stored in a 0.9% saline solution and preservative (benzol alcohol),Summary,What we planned to do initially - carrots Atr
18、opa belladonna is a member of the Solanaceae (potato) family Although it is a poisonous plant, it still has many uses. Ironically, among the important ones are medicinal use Mainly used to speed up heart rates,What We Think?,We found it to be an interesting plant A prime example of a highly poisonou
19、s plant, yet still very useful for us Atropa belladonna is a plant that has ongoing research done on it mainly to study affects of the tropane alkaloids Maybe theyll “accidentally” find some other uses of the plant?,References,Emboden, William. Narcotic Plants. Collier Books, New York, 1980. Fan, D.
20、 S. P.; Lam, D. S. C.; Chan, C. K. M.; Fan, A. H.; Cheung, E. Y. Y.; Rao, S. K. “Topical Atropine In Retarding Myopic Progression and Axial Length Growth in Children with Moderate to Severe Myopia: A Pilot Study”. Jpn J Ophthalmol 51, 27-33, 2007. Simpson, Beryll. Economic Botany: Plants in our Worl
21、d, 3rd Ed. McGraw Hill, New York, 2001. http:/plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ATROP http:/www.ams.usda.gov/NOSB/MaterialsReview/AtropineFinalSupplement.pdf http:/www.biopix.dk/Photo.asp?PhotoId=1697 http:/www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Atropbe.htm http:/www.eyehealthillinois.org/dilatedbig.html http:/ http:/www.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de/db26/fotos/_Gift-_und_Arzneipflanzen?C=D%3BO=A http:/www.siu.edu/ebl/leaflets/atropa.htm http:/ http:/www.triora.org/processo_ing.html http:/www.uic.edu/sph/glakes/kids/case1/slides1/ss14.htm http:/ You!,
