Picralima

Picralima
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Apocynaceae
Subfamily: Rauvolfioideae
Tribe: Hunterieae
Genus: Picralima
Pierre
Species:
P. nitida
Binomial name
Picralima nitida
(Stapf) T.Durand & H.Durand
Synonyms
  • Tabernaemontana nitida Stapf
  • Picralima klaineana Pierre
  • Picralima macrocarpa A.Chev.

Picralima is a plant genus in the family Apocynaceae, first described as a genus in 1896. It contains only one known species, Picralima nitida (synonym Picralima klaineana), native to tropical Africa (Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon, Cabinda, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Zaire, Uganda).

Picralima nitida, the akuamma, is a tree. The dried seeds from this plant are used in traditional medicine throughout West Africa, particularly in Ghana as well as in the Ivory Coast and Nigeria. The plant produces the alkaloids pericine and akuammine, among others. Alkaloids discovered in this plant also include picraline [2671-32-1].

Several of these alkaloids were shown to bind to opioid receptors with weak affinity in vitro, and two compounds, akuammidine and ψ-akuammigine, were found to be μ-opioid agonists, although not particularly selective. More recently, it has been shown that an additional constitutive analog, acuammicine, has potent activity as a kappa opioid receptor agonist.

formerly included in genus
  1. Picralima elliotii (Stapf) Stapf = Hunteria umbellata (K.Schum.) Hallier f.
  2. Picralima gracilis A.Chev. = Hunteria umbellata (K.Schum.) Hallier f.
  3. Picralima laurifolia A.Chev. = Hunteria simii (Stapf) H.Huber
  4. Picralima umbellata (K.Schum.) Stapf = Hunteria umbellata (K.Schum.) Hallier f.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ↑ Harris, D.J. (2002). The vascular plants of the Dzanga-Sangha Reserve, Central African Republic: 1-274. National Botanic Garden (Belgium), Meise.
  3. ↑ Akoègninou, A., van der Burg, W.J. & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (eds.) (2006). Flore Analytique du Bénin: 1-1034. Backhuys Publishers.
  4. ↑ Sosef MS, et al. (2006). "Check-list des plantes vasculaires du Gabon". Scripta Botanica Belgica. 35: 1–438.
  5. ↑ Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola. Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  6. ↑ Ama-Asamoah R, et al. (1990). "Picratidine, a New Indole Alkaloid from Picralima nitida Seeds". J. Nat. Prod. 53 (4): 975–977. doi:10.1021/np50070a032.
  7. ↑ Neuwinger HD (1996). African Ethnobotany: Poisons and Drugs: Chemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology. CRC Press. pp. 119–126. ISBN 978-3-8261-0077-2.
  8. ↑ Henry, T. A. (1932). "415. The alkaloids of Picralima Klaineana, pierre. Part II". Journal of the Chemical Society (Resumed): 2759. doi:10.1039/jr9320002759.
  9. ↑ Britten, A. Z.; Smith, G. F. (1963). "715. Akuamma alkaloids. Part VI. The reactions of picraline". Journal of the Chemical Society (Resumed): 3850. doi:10.1039/jr9630003850.
  10. ↑ Lewin G, Le Ménez P, Rolland Y, Renouard A, Giesen-Crouse E (Mar 1992). "Akuammine and dihydroakuammine, two indolomonoterpene alkaloids displaying affinity for opioid receptors". Journal of Natural Products. 55 (3): 380–4.
  11. ↑ Menzies JR, Paterson SJ, Duwiejua M, Corbett AD (May 1998). "Opioid activity of alkaloids extracted from Picralima nitida (fam. Apocynaceae)". Eur J Pharmacol. 350 (1): 101–8. doi:10.1016/s0014-2999(98)00232-5. PMID 9683021.
  12. ↑ Creed SM, Gutridge AM, Argade MD, Hennessy MR, Friesen JB, Pauli GF, van Rijn RM, Riley AP (2021). "Isolation and Pharmacological Characterization of Six Opioidergic Picralima nitida Alkaloids". Journal of Natural Products. 84 (1): 71–80. doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.0c01036. PMC 7932029.