Structural elucidation of the pyrrolizidine alkaloids in Heliotropium greggii

CHED 316

Melanie R. Bruck, bruckm@eou.edu1, Kristy A. Headings, headinka@eou.edu1, Caleb M. Jones, jonescm@eou.edu1, and Ronald B. Kelley, ron.kelley@eou.edu2. (1) Department of Chemistry, Eastern Oregon University, One University Blvd, La Grande, OR 97850, (2) Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Eastern Oregon University, One University Blvd., La Grande, OR 97850
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA's) are potentially toxic secondary natural products commonly found in the plant family Boraginaceae. Heliotropium greggii, a taxon of southwestern North America, is the focus of this investigation. As Heliotropium greggii belongs to the family Boraginaceae, it may be presumed that PAs should be present. Other investigated Heliotropium species have been found to contain large quantities and great varieties of PAs. This study of intact PA structures will look at one Heliotropium population from Brewster Co., Texas. Preliminary chromatographic evidence indicates two main series of PAs, unsaturated heliospathine derivatives and saturated turneforcidine derivatives, the ratios of which seem to differ from previous publications. Further research is in progress to confirm and investigate these initial findings.
 

Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Organic Chemistry
2:30 PM-4:30 PM, Monday, 11 September 2006 Moscone Center -- Hall D, Poster

Division of Chemical Education

The 232nd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September 10-14, 2006