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Plant Source Foods
Published in Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy, Food and Lifestyle in Health and Disease, 2022
Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy
Seeds are small embryonic plants enclosed in a coat, the product of the ripened ovule of flowering plants after pollination and the completion of the reproduction process (153). Seeds are made of complex matrices in the outer layer and germ, and rich in minerals, oils, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids, and antioxidants that protect the plant’s DNA from oxidative stress, thus facilitating the perpetuation of the species. Some edible seeds are: flaxseed (linseed), sesame seed, chia seed, quinoa seed, pumpkin seed, sunflower seed, and hemp seed. Sunflower seed, rapeseed, and cottonseed are used commercially in the production of oils. However, some seeds, such as castor seed of the plant Ricinus communis, seed of the strychnine tree, and seeds of bitter almond, peach, and apricot, are toxic. Ricin, a water-soluble lectin present in castor seed, is highly toxic and can cause death if consumed (154). In contrast, castor oil extracted from castor seed is not toxic and can be used in food additives or in pharmacy as a laxative because ricin is not soluble in castor oil. Seed of the strychnine (Strychnos nux-vomica) tree can cause deadly convulsion. Seeds of bitter almond, apricot, and peach, containing amygdalin, may cause cyanide poisoning with high intake. Except for some particular cases cited above, most seeds frequently consumed such as flaxseed, sesame seed, chia seed, and quinoa seed, are good for health.
N
Published in Anton Sebastian, A Dictionary of the History of Medicine, 2018
Nux Vomica Seed from Strychnos Nux-vomica, a plant indigenous to India and the Malay archipelago, was introduced into medicine by the Arabs. The first description was given by Valerius Cordus (1515–1554) of Hesse in 1540, and De Nuce Vomica giving an account of its toxic effects on animals, was published by J. Lossius in 1682. It was used in England in the 17th century as a pest poison. The poisonous action is due to the alkaloids, brucine and strychnine. Brucine was isolated from bark by French pharmacist, Pierre Joseph Pelletier (1788–1842), in 1819.
Strychnine
Published in David J. George, Poisons, 2017
Strychnine is derived from the seeds of Strychnos nux vomica, which is a small tree native to India. The words nux and vomica are commonly found on antique apothecary jars and other collectable containers some of which may still contain strychnine. In small doses, strychnine acts as a stimulant and has a long history of use as a performance-enhancing drug, especially in long-distance cycling. It is still listed on the World Anti-Doping Agents Prohibited List. Strychnine was a component of some nonprescription cathartics and tonics until the early 1960s. It is still present in some homeopathic products. Strychnine produces its effects on the body by antagonizing inhibitor neurotransmitters. In toxic doses, this results in generalized seizure-like contractions of skeletal muscles. Death usually results from respiratory failure due to the intense continuing contraction of respiratory muscles.
Antioxidant and cytoprotective properties of loganic acid isolated from seeds of Strychnos potatorum L. against heavy metal induced toxicity in PBMC model
Published in Drug and Chemical Toxicology, 2022
Alagarsamy Abirami, Simran Sinsinwar, Perumal Rajalakshmi, Pemaiah Brindha, Yamajala B. R. D. Rajesh, Vellingiri Vadivel
Based on antioxidant potential, CF-7 was considered as the active fraction, which was transparent and waxy in nature (Figure 3(A)) and showed single spot in TLC with ethyl acetate/methanol (50/50 ratio) solvent combination (Figure 3(B)). This fraction was subjected to LC-MS/MS analysis and only one signal at a retention time 2.97 min was observed in liquid chromatogram with a molecular mass of 375.23 m/z (Figure 3(C,D)). The mass of parent ion (375.40 m/z) and daughter ion (213.20 m/z) were matched with mass bank data and identified as loganic acid (C16H24O10). Loganic acid belongs to groups of terpenes called iridoids. It is a precursor for production of major indole alkaloids in plants such as Strychnos nux-vomica (Guarnaccia et al. 1970, Zhang et al. 2003), Cornus mas (Sozanski et al. 2015) and Cantharanthus roseus (Guarnaccia et al. 1970). The structure of loganic acid was confirmed by 1 H and 13 C NMR spectra (Supplementary Figure S1 and S2). The proton and 13 C NMR spectra were compared with a previously reported spectrum of loganic acid, which was isolated from Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) by Zhang et al. (2003).
Strychnine, old still actual poison: description of poisoning cases reported to French Poison Control Centers over the past thirteen years
Published in Toxin Reviews, 2022
Camille Paradis, Denis Dondia, Audrey Nardon, Ingrid Blanc-Brisset, Arnaud Courtois, Jules-Antoine Vaucel, Magali Labadie
Strychnine that was discovered by the French pharmacists Pierre-Joseph Pelletier and Joseph-Bienaimé Caventou in 1818 in the seeds of Strychnos ignatii, is presenting as an odorless white crystalline powder (Mackison 1981, Patocka 2015). This highly toxic indol alkaloid (Figure 1) is a naturally occurring toxin, found in plants of the genus Strychnos that contain nearly 200 species distributed in warm regions of Asia, America and Africa. The main species used to extract strychnine are Strychnos ignatii and Strychnos nux vomica (Patocka 2015, Guo et al.2018).