No abstract

There are about 35 Papaver species growing in Turkey, which are grouped into eight sections, namely Argemonidium, Carinata, Glauca, Miltantha, Oxytona, Papaver, Pilosa, and Rhoeadium.As a result of our extensive work on the alkaloids of Turkish Papaver species the presence of several chemotypes has been shown. Among these chemotypes, medicinally important alkaloids such as noscapine (=narcotine), papaverine-and thebaine-containing samples have been found as new sources for the production of them.The infraspecific variation encountered within the Papaver species has been demonstrated mainly in two sections of the genus, Miltantha and Oxytona. The alkaloids of seven species (Papaver armeniacum, P. curviscapum, P. cylindricum, P. fugax, P. persicum, P. polychaetum, and P. triniifolium) of the section Miltantha have been studied, and the existence of chemical strains has been shown mainly in P. fugax, P. persicum, and P. triniifolium.Investigations on the species of the section Oxytona indicated that there is a relationship between the major alkaloid content and the chromosome numbers of the samples.Isolation of new secoberbine-type alkaloids as well as promorphinane-and morphinane-types has revealed the biosynthetic relationship between the alkaloids of Miltantha and Oxytona species. Chemical races are also known for species of Papaver within other sections of the genus.P. lateritium of Turkish origin from section Pilosa yielded some secoberbine and protoberberine types, whereas P. rhopalothece of the section Rhoeadium contained narcotine as a major alkaloid. Isolation of spirobenzylisoquinoline type from P. argemone (sect. Argemonidium) was the first report of the occurrence of this type in the Papaveraceae.

Context:Papaver rhoeas L. (Papaveraceae) corn poppy, widely distributed in Turkey, is used to make a cough syrup for children, as a tea for disturbed sleep, for pain relief and as a sedative in folk medicine.Objective: Samples of P. rhoeas collected from eight different locations in Turkey and three from northern Cyprus were investigated for their alkaloid content and screened for their antimicrobial activities.Materials and methods: From the aerial parts of P. rhoeas samples, alkaloids were isolated by column and preparative thin-layer chromatography. The alkaloids were identified by comparing their spectral data (UV, IR and 1H-NMR) and TLC Rf values with those of authentic samples. The antimicrobial study was carried out by microbroth dilution technique against six strains of bacteria and three strains of fungi.Results: Twelve different alkaloids belonging to proaporphine (mecambrine), aporphine (roemerine), promorphinan (salutaridine), protopine (coulteropine and protopine) and rhoeadine (epiglaucamine, glaucamine, glaudine, isorhoeadine, isorhoeagenine, rhoeadine and rhoeagenine) groups were isolated. The most significant activity was observed with the alkaloid extract of P8 against Staphylococcus aureus with a MIC value of 1.22 μg/mL and against Candida albicans with a MIC value of 2.4 μg/mL.Discussion: The results indicate that P. rhoeas samples (P8 and P9), which contain roemerine as their major alkaloid, were the most active extracts.

Artemisia abrotanum L. (Compositae) is widely used in European herbal medicine for treatment of various ailments including fever. Crude extracts of this plant and some of their constituents were tested for antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum in vitro using the technique of [3H]hypoxanthine incorporation. Two pure compounds, isofraxidin and a novel sesquiterpene, 1(S*)-hydroxy-a-bisabololoxide A acetate were found to be active (IC, values of 7.95 and 5.09 pg/mL, respectively).

Extract B (0.7 g) was separated on preparative TLC with system (g). (+)-Rhoeadine (290 mg), berberine (140 mg), and coptisine (54 mg) were obtained. Coulteropine was crystallized from methanol, m.p.