Planta Med 2013; 79 - PI86
DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1352175

Isolation and quantification of alkaloids from Tetrapterys mucronata – a plant used in the ayahuasca preparation

MF Queiroz 1, EF Queiroz 2, G Marti 2, L Marcourt 2, IG Castro 1, VS Bolzani 1, JL Wolfender 2
  • 1São Paulo State University, Núcleo de Bioensaios, Biossíntese e Ecofisiologia de Produtos Naturais, Araraquara, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 2University of Geneva, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Geneva, Switzerland

Tetrapterys mucronata Cav. (Malpighiaceae) is a plant used in some regions of Brazil in ayahuasca preparation a psychotropic plant decoction [1]. To assess the phytochemical composition of T. mucronata and understand its traditional use, aqueous and methanolic extracts were investigated. Their HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS profiles have been determined. The isolation of the main compounds of the methanolic extract was performed by a direct transfer of analytical HPLC conditions to medium pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC). This resulted in the isolation of six alkaloids and one new phenanthrene derivative. Since tryptamine and β-carboline alcaloids are known to have powerful hallucinogenic activities, an HPLC-ESI-MS/MS method has been developed for their quantification in T. mucronata water and methanolic extracts. These results provide a rational support for the traditional use of T. mucronata stem bark in ayahuasca preparations, since β-carboline alkaloids are present in a relevant amount.

Reference:

[1] Ott, J., Ayahuasca analogues: Pangæan entheogens. 1st ed.; Natural Products Co.: Kennewick, WA, 1994; p 127.