Worldwide, there are plants known as psychoactive plants that naturally contain psychedelic active components. They have a high concentration of neuroprotective substances that can interact with the nervous system to produce psychedelic effects. Despite these plants' hazardous potential, recreational use of them is on the rise because of their psychoactive properties. Early neuroscience studies relied heavily on psychoactive plants and plant natural products (NPs), and both recreational and hazardous NPs have contributed significantly to the understanding of almost all neurotransmitter systems. Worldwide, there are many plants that contain psychoactive properties, and people have been using them for ages. Psychoactive plant compounds may significantly alter how people perceive the world.
1. Eur J Biochem. 1995 Apr 15;229(2):369-76. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1995.0369k.x. Calystegins of Physalis alkekengi var. francheti (Solanaceae). Structure determination and their glycosidase inhibitory activities. Asano N(1), Kato A, Oseki K, Kizu H, Matsui K. Author information: (1)Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokuriku University, Japan. Five calystegins were extracted from the roots of Physalis alkekengi var. francheti (Solanaceae) with hot water and purified to homogeneity by the combination of a variety of ion-exchange column chromatographies. Their structures have been determined from the 1H- and 13C-NMR spectral data, and two of the compounds were identified as calystegins A3 and B2, which have been isolated from the roots of Calystegia sepium (Convolvulaceae). Two of the remaining three were found to be 1 alpha, 3 alpha, 4 beta-trihydroxy-nor-tropane and 1 alpha, 2 alpha, 3 alpha, 4 beta-tetrahydroxy-nor-tropane and given the trivial name calystegins A5 and B3, respectively. The last calystegin was assigned as 1 alpha, 2 beta, 3 alpha, 6 alpha-tetrahydroxy-nor-tropane, which was the same as the relative configuration proposed in the literature for calystegin B1 isolated from C. sepium. However, the 13C-NMR spectral data for the compound from C. sepium differed substantially from our results. From a personal communication with the authors of the original paper on calystegins, it was clarified that the 13C-NMR chemical shifts of calystegin B1 in the original paper had been erroneous. Since their corrected 13C-NMR data of calystegin B1 and its 1H-NMR chemical shifts in the original paper are very close to our present data, we concluded that both compounds from C. sepium and P. alkekengi are identical. Calystegin B2 has been known to be a potent competitive inhibitor of almond beta-glucosidase (Ki = 1.2 microM) and coffee bean alpha-galactosidase (Ki = 0.86 microM). In this study calystegin B1 (1 alpha, 2 beta, 3 alpha, 6 alpha-tetrahydroxy-nor-tropane) proved to be a potent competitive inhibitor of almond beta-glucosidase (Ki = 1.9 microM) and bovine liver beta-galactosidase (Ki = 1.6 microM), but not an inhibitor of alpha-galactosidases. Calystegin A3 was found to be a weaker inhibitor compared to calystegin B2 but with the same inhibitory spectrum. Calystegin A5, a 2-deoxy derivative of calystegin B2, showed no activity against any glycosidases tested. Since calystegin B3, a 2-epimer of calystegin B2, also exhibited only a weak inhibitory activity, it was concluded that the equatorially oriented OH group at C2 is the essential feature for recognition and strong binding by the active site of glycosidases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS) DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1995.0369k.x PMID: 7744059 [Indexed for MEDLINE] 2. Carbohydr Res. 1994 Jun 17;259(2):243-55. doi: 10.1016/0008-6215(94)84060-1. N-containing sugars from Morus alba and their glycosidase inhibitory activities. Asano N(1), Oseki K, Tomioka E, Kizu H, Matsui K. Author information: (1)Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokuriku University, Ishikawa, Japan. The reexamination of N-containing sugars from the roots of Morus alba by improved purification procedures led to the isolation of eighteen N-containing sugars, including seven that were isolated from the leaves of Morus bombycis. These N-containing sugars are 1-deoxynojirimycin (1), N-methyl-1-deoxynojirimycin (2), fagomine (3), 3-epi-fagomine (4), 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-D-arabinitol (5), 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-D-ribitol (6), calystegin B2 (1 alpha,2 beta,3 alpha,4 beta-tetrahydroxy-nor-tropane, 7), calystegin C1 (1 alpha,2 beta,3 alpha,4 beta,6 alpha-pentahydroxy-nor-tropane, 8), 1,4-dideoxy-1,4-imino-(2-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-D-arabinitol (9), and nine glycosides of 1. These glycosides consist of 2-O- and 6-O-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl-1-deoxynojirimycins (10 and 11, respectively), 2-O-, 3-O- and 4-O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-1-deoxynojirimycins (12, 13, and 14, respectively), and 2-O-, 3-O-, 4-O- and 6-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-1-deoxynojirimycins (15, 16, 17, and 18, respectively). Compound 4 is a new member of polyhydroxylated piperidine alkaloids, and the isolation of 6 is the first report of its natural occurrence. It has recently been found that the polyhydroxy-nor-tropane alkaloids possess potent glycosidase inhibitory activities. Calystegin A3 is the trihydroxy-nor-tropane, and calystegins B1 and B2 are the tetrahydroxy-nor-tropane. Calystegin C1, a new member of calystegins, is the first naturally occurring pentahydroxy-nor-tropane alkaloid. The inhibitory activities of these compounds were investigated against rat digestive glycosidases and various commercially available glycosidases. DOI: 10.1016/0008-6215(94)84060-1 PMID: 8050098 [Indexed for MEDLINE] 3. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1993 Jul;304(1):81-8. doi: 10.1006/abbi.1993.1324. Calystegins, a novel class of alkaloid glycosidase inhibitors. Molyneux RJ(1), Pan YT, Goldmann A, Tepfer DA, Elbein AD. Author information: (1)Western Regional Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture, Albany, California 94710. The alkaloid extract from roots of naturally growing Convolvulus arvensis, purified by ion-exchange chromatography, showed significant inhibitory activity toward beta-glucosidase and alpha-galactosidase. The demonstrated occurrence of polyhydroxy-nortropane alkaloids, the calystegins, in C. arvensis and their structural similarity to known polyhydroxy alkaloid glycosidase inhibitors, suggested that these might be responsible for the observed activity. Pure calystegins, isolated from transformed root cultures of the related plant species Calystegia sepium, were tested for glycosidase inhibitory activity. The purity of the alkaloids was established by gas chromatography and their identity confirmed by their mass spectrometric fragmentation patterns. The trihydroxy alkaloid, calystegin A3, was a moderately good inhibitor of beta-glucosidase (Ki = 4.3 x 10(-5) M) and a weak inhibitor of alpha-galactosidase (Ki = 1.9 x 10(-4) M). An increased level of hydroxylation, as in the tetrahydroxy calystegins B, consisting of 27% calystegin B1 and 73% calystegin B2, resulted in greatly enhanced inhibitory activity. The calystegins B were potent inhibitors of beta-glucosidase (Ki = 3 x 10(-6) M) and alpha-galactosidase (Ki = 7 x 10(-6) M). These levels of activity are comparable with those of the polyhydroxy indolizidine alkaloids castanospermine and swainsonine toward alpha-glucosidase and alpha-mannosidase, respectively, and of the polyhydroxy pyrrolizidine alkaloid australine toward alpha-glucosidase. The calystegins therefore compose a new structural class of polyhydroxy alkaloids, the nortropanes, possessing potent glycosidase inhibitory properties. DOI: 10.1006/abbi.1993.1324 PMID: 8323301 [Indexed for MEDLINE]