โ Scribed by Morris Kupchan, S. ;Gruenfeld, Norbert
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Cryptenamine has been reported to have a more favorable ratio of emetic to h potensive dose than other veratrum preparations, and the advantageous ratio has geen attributed to the presence of new hypotensive alkaloids. Cryptenamine was fractionated with the aid of partition column chromatography, adsorption column chromatography, and paper partition chromatography. The known hypotensive alkaloids protoveratrine A, protoveratrine B, germitrine, neogermitrine, germerine, and germidine were isolated. I n addition, the relatively nonhypotensive alkaloids jervine, rubijervine, isorubijervine, and an apparently new noncarbonyl alkamine were obtained. Paper chromatographic evidence suggesting the presence of the hypotensive alkaloids germbudine and neogermbudine and the relatively nonhypotensive veratramine was also obtained.
URE veratrum alkaloids and their prepara-Ptions have been administered in recent years for the treatment of hypertension. T h e deterrent to the wider use of these agents in therapy is the narrow range between their therapeutic and emetic doses (1).
Cryptenamine, a n alkaloidal preparation obtained from Veratrum wiride by a nonaqueous benzene-triethylamine extraction procedure has been reported t o have a ratio of emetic t o effective hypotensive dose superior to t h a t of other veratrum preparations (2-5). In humans, the divergence between the hypotensive and the emetic doses was most apparent on intravenous administration (5). The satisfactory ambulatory treatment of arterial hypertension by oral administration of cryptenamine has also been reported (6). However, Abreu, et al. (7), reported in 1954 that cryptenamine did not demonstrate a ratio of emetic t o hypotensive dose superior to t h a t of protoveratrine A when tested in dogs. The advantageous pharmacological properties of cryptenamine have been attributed to the presence of new amorphous hypotensive ester alkaloids reportedly lost b y hydrolysis during the alternative aqueous ammonia-benzene extraction procedure (2-4). It was the purpose of this investigation t o identify t h e components of cryptenamine which are responsible for its hypotensive activity.
Melting points are conected for stem exposure. Values of [ e ] D have been approximated to the near-*
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