Introduction: The aconite plants contain Aconitum alkaloids (AAs) and other minor components, such as chasmanine, kobusine and higenamine. AAs consist of aconitines, benzoylaconines and aconines as shown in Figure . The most toxic group is the aconitines, including aconitine, mesaconitine, hypaconitine, and jesaconitine; this group is one of the most poisonous compounds being contained in the plant kingdom. Even nowadays, aconite poisoning cases take place occasionally. These may be due to accidental, suicidal or homicidal ingestion of the plant itself or its extracts. In this chapter, a specific method for GC/MS analysis of AAs in human specimens is presented. Reagents. | 6 Aconite toxins by Michinao Mizugaki and Kitae Ito Introduction The aconite plants contain Aconitum alkaloids AAs and other minor components such as chasmanine kobusine and higenamine. AAs consist of aconitines benzoylaconines and aco-nines as shown in Figure . The most toxic group is the aconitines including aconitine mesaconitine hypaconitine and jesaconitine this group is one of the most poisonous compounds being contained in the plant kingdom. Even nowadays aconite poisoning cases take place occasionally. These may be due to accidental suicidal or homicidal ingestion of the plant itself or its extracts. In this chapter a specific method for GC MS analysis of AAs in human specimens is presented. Reagents and their preparation Aconitine was purchased from Sigma St. Louis MO USA mesaconitine and hypaconi-tine from Kishida Kagaku Osaka Japan . Jesaconitine benzoylaconine benzoylmesaco-nine benzoylhypaconine 14-anisoylaconine aconine mesaconine and hypaconine were donated by Tsumura Tokyo Japan . Benzoylaconine and aconine can be obtained also O Figure Aconitines aconitine CzHs OH COCH3 COCeHs mesaconitine CH3 OH COCH3 COCeHs hypaconitine CH3 H COCH3 COCeHs jesaconitine C2H5 OH COCH3 COC6H4OCH3 Benzoylaconines benzoylaconine C2H5 OH H COCeHs benzoylmesaconine CH3 OH H COCeHs benzoylhypaconine CH3 H H COCeHs 14-anisoylaconine C2H5 OH H COCeHtOCHs Aconines aconine C2H5 OH H H mesaconine CH3 OH H H hypaconine CH3 H H H Structures of Aconitum alkaloids AAs . Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005 456 Aconite toxins from Sanwa Shoyaku Tochigi Japan . As a trimethylsilylating reagent N O-bis trimethyl-silyl trifluoroacetamide BSTFA containing 1 trimethylsilylchlorosilane TMCS a Pierce Rockford IL USA is used. Pyridine to be used is of amino acid sequence analysis grade Wako Pure Chemical Industries Ltd. Osaka Japan or Sigma . Other organic solvents are of HPLC grade other reagents are of special grade. Each compound of aconitines benzoylaconines and .
