HPLC-MS detection of pyrrolizidine alkaloids and their N-oxides in herbarium specimens dating back to the 1850s.

ABSTRACT:

Premise of the study

Understanding the phylogenetic distribution of defensive plant secondary metabolites is essential to the macroevolutionary study of chemically mediated plant-animal interactions. The chemical ecology of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) has been extensively studied in a number of plant-herbivore systems, including Apocynaceae (the milkweed and dogbane family) and Danainae (the milkweed and clearwing butterflies). A systematic survey is necessary to establish a detailed understanding of their occurrence across Apocynaceae. A survey of this species-rich, mainly tropical and subtropical family will rely heavily on small tissue samples removed from herbarium specimens, some of which will be very old and/or preserved with alcohols or mercuric chloride.

Methods

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SUBMITTER: Tasca JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5947603 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature