HIGHER PLANT TOXINS

Alkaloids

• Alkaloids form the most important group of

vegetable base.
• These are complex heterocyclic nitrogenous
compounds having a basic nature.
• These have profound physiological action and
in many cases are of intense poisonous nature.
• These plants contain bitter taste and sufficient
protection from being eaten by cattle.
Some of the poisonous alkaloids are—
 Aconitine from aconite root,
 Morphine from poppy capsules
 Emetine from ipecachuanha root
 Strychnine from nux vomica seeds,
 Nicotine from tobacco leaves
 Curarine from curare
 Tropane alkaloids
Botanical origin: Atropa belladonna
Family: Solanaceae
Toxic Part
• The whole plant is toxic.
Toxins
• Atropine, scopolamine
Symptoms of toxicity:
• Intoxication results in dry mouth with
dysphagia and dysphonia, tachycardia and
urinary retention.
• Elevation of body temperature may be
accompanied by flushed, dry skin.
• Mydriasis, blurred vision, excitement and
delirium, and headache may be observed
Management:
• Initially, symptomatic and supportive care
should be given.
• In case of severity of the intoxication
(hyperthermia, delirium), an antidote,
physostigmine, is available
• Consultation with a Poison Control Centre
should be considered.
 Imidazole alkaloids
Botanical origin: Pilocarpus jaborandi
Family: Rutaceae
Toxic part: Dried leave
Toxins:
• Pilocarpine
• Isopilocarpine,
• Pilosine, pseudopilocarpine and isopilosine.
Symptoms of Toxicity:
• Salivation
• Slow heartbeat
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Increased sweating
Treatment:
Parenteral atropine, is administered to counteract its
toxicity.
 Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs)
• Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), are a group of
naturally occurring alkaloids based on the
structure of pyrrolizidine.
• Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are produced by plants
as a defense mechanism against insect
herbivores.
•  It has been estimated that 3% of the world’s
flowering plants contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids
• There are more than 500 different
pyrrolizidine alkaloids which are found in over
6,000 plant species.
 Pyrrolizidine alkaloids occur in a large number
of plants, notably the Genera Crotalaria
(Fabaceae), Cynoglossum (Boraginaceae),
Eupatorium (Asteraceae), Heliotropium
(Boraginaceae), Petasites (Asteraceae), Senecio
(Asteraceae), and Symphytum (Boraginaceae) 
Symptoms of toxicity:

• Hepatomegaly and liver necrosis

• Splenomegaly
• Abdominal pain and Ascites may follow
Management:
• Treatment is symptomatic and supportive
• For patients that progress to liver failure ,it is
likely too late to protect the liver.
 GLYCOSIDES
• These are compounds which when split up
with help of acids or enzymes yield a sugar
and non-sugar moiety known as aglycone.
• Among the glycosides, one of the important
classes is cyanogenic glycosides, give rise to
toxic acids, e.g. amygdalin found in bitter
almonds, prunasin found in wild cherry etc
• Some other glycosides which produce harmful
components on hydrolysis are sinigrin in black
mustard seeds, sinalbin in white mustard
seed.
• Certain glycosides have direct toxic action
such as digitoxin in Digitalis.
 Cardioactive Glycosides
Biological source: Digitalis purpurea,
Family: Scrophulariaceae
Toxic part: Leaves
Toxic principle: Cardiac or steroid glycosides
Symptoms: The classic features of digoxin
toxicity are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain,
headache, dizziness, confusion, delirium, vision
disturbance, irregular heart beat
Treatment:
• Supportive care,
• Activated charcoal
Treatment of severe toxicity:
Digoxin immune fab or Digoxin-specific antibody is
an antidote for overdose of digoxin . It is made
from immunoglobulin fragments from sheep that
have already been immunized with a digoxin
 derivatives.
 Cyanogenic glycosides
• Cyanogenic glycosides are present in a
number of food plants and seeds. Hydrogen
cyanide is released from the cyanogenic
glycosides when fresh plant material is
macerated as in chewing, which allows
enzymes and cyanogenic glycosides to come
together, releasing hydrogen cyanide.
 Bitter Almond
B.O:Prunus Amygdalus
Family: Rosaceae
Toxic part: seeds
Constituents: Chief constituent of bitter almond
oil is Fixed oil (50%),Amygdalin (3-4%), Enzyme
(Emulsin)
 Toxicity of Cyanogenic Glycosides

• Clinical symptoms of acute cyanide poisoning

include cardiac arrest , drop in blood pressure,
headache, dizziness, vomiting, diarrhea ,
mental confusion, blue discoloration of the
skin due to lack of oxygen (cyanosis), and
convulsions.
Management:
• If you have ingested cyanide, you may be
given activated charcoal to help absorb the
toxin and safely clear it from your body.
• In severe cases, your doctor may administer
Hydroxocobalamin (HCO, vitamin B-12) is the
first-line therapy for cyanide toxicity.
 Organic /Plants Acids
• Organic acids significant in poisonous point of
view is oxalic acid.
• Formic acid an irritant is also found in some
plants especially in family urticaceae.
Examples:
Oxalic acids
Resin acids
Amino acids
 Oxalic acid
Source:
• Rhubarb, Spinach, Tea, Nuts, chocolate and
some grains are other good sources of oxalic
acid
• Chemical nature: Oxalic acid is an organic
compound with the formula:
Toxicity:
• Oxalic acid is toxic because of its acidic
properties.
• It is especially toxic when ingested. As little as 5
grams (71 mg/kg) may be fatal.
• Ulcerations of the mouth, vomiting of blood, and
epigastric pain, convulsions, and cardiovascular
collapse may occur following ingestion of oxalic
acid or its soluble salts.
 Resin acids:
• Resin acid refers to mixtures of several related carboxylic acids, primarily
abietic acid. Nearly all resin acids have the same basic skeleton: three fused
ring fused with the empirical formula C19H29COOH.
Chemical Nature:
Resin acid are
• Tacky
• Yellowish gums
• Water insoluble
They are used to produce soaps for diverse applications.
Source: Plants of Family Pinaceae
Toxicity
• Resin acid are primary source of toxicity in fish
 Essential oils
• Cineole: A natural organic compound that is a
colorless liquid and a monoterpenoid.
• It comprises up to 90 % of the essential oil of
some species of the generic
product Eucalyptus oil , hence the common
name of the compound is eucalyptol. It is
found in  rosemary, Eucalyptus, camphor and
other aromatic plants.
Symptoms of toxicity:
• In higher-than-normal doses, eucalyptol is
hazardous via ingestion, skin contact,
or inhalation. It can have acute health effects
on behavior, respiratory tract, and nervous
system.
Pine oil:
• Pine oil is an essential oil obtained by
the steam distillation of variety of species
of pine, It is used in aromatherapy, as a scent
in bath oils.
• Chemically, pine oil consists mainly of
cyclic terpene  alcohols. It may also contain
terpene hydrocarbons, ethers and esters.
Toxicity:
• Pine oil has a relatively low human toxicity
level, however, it irritates the skin and mucous
membranes and has been known to cause
breathing problems.
• Large doses may cause central nervous
system depression.
MYRISTICIN

• Source: It present in small amount in the essential oil of

nutmeg, the dried ripe seed of Myristica fragrans and
to lesser extent in other species such as parsley and dill.
• Toxicity: Several intoxication have been reported after
the ingestion of approximately 5g of nutmeg
correspond to approximately 1-2mg myristicin/kg body
weight.
Sign and symptoms:
• In humans consumption of nutmeg seeds in
large quantity has been reported to lead to
facial flushing, tachycardia, hypertension, dry
mouth, blurred vision, hallucination and
delirium.
Safrole: it is a colorless or slightly yellow oily
liquid typically extracted from the root,bark or
the fruit of sassafras plants in the form of
sassafras oil.
B.O: Sassafras albidum
Family: Lauraceae
Toxicity:
• Besides being a cancer-causing agent, sassafras
can induce vomiting, stupor and hallucinations.
• It can also cause abortion, diaphoresis, and
dermatitis. 
• Sassafras oil and safrole have been banned for
use as flavors and food additives by the FDA
because of their carcinogenic potential
APIOL
• Apiol is an organic compound, extracted from the leaves of
parsley (Petroselinum crispum) belonging to family Apiaceae

Toxicity:
• many death cases, due to its abortion have been reported
• Now more safer methods of abortion are available so, apiol is
almost forgotten.
• At large doses, it cause nausea, damage liver and kidney
• Thujone:
Thujone is a ketone and monoterpene that occurs
naturally Artemisia absinthium. It is also found in
various species of Mentha. . It has a menthol like
odour.
Toxicology of Thujone:
• Thujone is a major component of the notoriously
famous absinthe drink which is neurotoxic.
Absinthe Drink:
• It is an anise flavoured spirit derived from
botanicals including the flowers and leaves of
Artemisia absinthium. It contains thujone as
major component.
Symptoms of toxicity:
• The acute effect of absinthe came on rapidly after
ingestion and evoked a cheerful mood, euphoria,
hallucination, vertigo and convulsion.
Menthofuran:
• Menthofuran is an organic compound found in
variety of essential oils is a constituent of
peppermint oil and other mentha species
• It is highly toxic.
• After ingestion of menthofuran it is
metabolically activated to chemically
intermediate reactives that are hepatotoxic.
Toxicity in humans:
• Major toxicity of menthafuran in human
females has reported as it is used as
abortifacient and at over dose it results into
death .Basically it is a hepatotoxic agent.