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. Phytochemistry. 2013 Jan;85:185-93. doi: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2012.08.015. Epub 2012 Oct 1. Characterization of chlorinated valepotriates from Valeriana jatamansi. Lin S(1), Zhang ZX, Chen T, Ye J, Dai WX, Shan L, Su J, Shen YH, Li HL, Liu RH, Xu XK, Wang H, Zhang WD. Author information: (1)Department of Natural Product Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, 325 Guohe Road, Shanghai 200433, People's Republic of China. HPLC-PDA-MS and TLC analysis were used to look for minor cytotoxic chlorinated valepotriates from whole plants of Valeriana jatamansi (syn. Valeriana wallichii DC.). This resulted in isolation of 15 chlorinated valepotriates, designated as chlorovaltrates A-O, together with six known analogues, (1S,3R,5R,7S,8S,9S)-3,8-epoxy-1,5-dihydroxyvalechlorine, volvaltrate B, chlorovaltrate, rupesin B, (1S,3R,5R,7S,8S,9S)-3,8-epoxy-1-O-ethyl-5-hydroxyvalechlorine, and (1R,3R,5R,7S,8S,9S)-3,8-epoxy-1-O-ethyl-5-hydroxyvalechlorine. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods including homo- and heteronuclear two-dimensional NMR experiments. Chlorovaltrates K-N, chlorovaltrate and rupesin B showed moderate cytotoxicity against lung adenocarcinoma (A 549), metastatic prostate cancer (PC-3M), colon cancer (HCT-8) and hepatoma (Bel 7402) cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 0.89-9.76 μM. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2012.08.015 PMID: 23036722 [Indexed for MEDLINE] 2. J Nat Prod. 2010 Oct 22;73(10):1723-6. doi: 10.1021/np100426j. Epub 2010 Sep 20. Revision of the Structures of 1,5-Dihydroxy-3,8-epoxyvalechlorine, Volvaltrate B, and Valeriotetrate C from Valeriana jatamansi and V. officinalis. Lin S(1), Shen YH, Zhang ZX, Li HL, Shan L, Liu RH, Xu XK, Zhang WD. Author information: (1)Department of Phytochemistry, College of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, People's Republic of China. The structures of 1,5-dihydroxy-3,8-epoxyvalechlorine (1a) and volvaltrate B (6a), two new chlorinated iridoids isolated from Valeriana jatamansi and V. officinalis, respectively, were originally assigned on the basis of spectroscopic methods. Reinvestigation using X-ray analysis and chemical transformation revealed that the original assignment of H-7 in 1a and OH-8 in 6a should be inverted and that the structures should be revised to 1 and 6, respectively. Correspondingly, the structure of valeriotetrate C (7a) should be revised to 7. Volvaltrate B (6) showed cytotoxic activity against the lung adenocarcinoma (A549), metastatic prostate cancer (PC-3M), colon cancer (HCT-8), and hepatoma (Bel7402) cell lines, with IC50 values of 8.5, 2.0, 3.2, and 6.1 μM, respectively. DOI: 10.1021/np100426j PMID: 20853876 [Indexed for MEDLINE]