Reticuline is an

alkaloid Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...

found in

opium Opium (also known as poppy tears, or Lachryma papaveris) is the dried latex obtained from the seed Capsule (fruit), capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid mor ...

and a variety of plants including '' Lindera aggregata'', '' Annona squamosa'', and '' Ocotea fasciculata'' (also known as ''Ocotea duckei''). Experiments in rodents suggest reticuline possesses potent

central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain, spinal cord and retina. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity o ...

depressing effects. It is the precursor of

morphine Morphine, formerly also called morphia, is an opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin produced by drying the latex of opium poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as an analgesic (pain medication). There are ...

and many other alkaloids. It is also toxic to dopaminergic neurons causing a form of atypical parkinsonism known as Guadeloupean Parkinsonism.

Metabolism

3'-hydroxy-N-methyl-(S)-coclaurine 4'-O-methyltransferase uses ''S''-adenosyl methionine and 3'-hydroxy-''N''-methyl-(''S'')- coclaurine to produce ''S''-adenosylhomocysteine and (''S'')-reticuline. Reticuline oxidase uses (''S'')-reticuline and O₂ to produce (''S'')- scoulerine and H₂O₂. Salutaridine synthase uses (''R'')-reticuline, NADPH, H⁺, and O₂ to produce salutaridine, NADP⁺, and H₂O. Salutaridine can then be transformed progressively to thebaine, oripavine, and

. 1,2-dehydroreticulinium reductase (NADPH) uses (''R'')-reticuline and NADP⁺ to produce 1,2-dehydroreticulinium, NADPH, and H⁺.

References

External links

{{Components of Opium Hydroxyarenes Natural opium alkaloids Phenols Phenol ethers Tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids