A contribution to the chemistry of picrotoxin

Abstract

Picrotoxin is the poisonous principle of the creeper Anamirta Cocculus and was first isolated in 1812 by Boullay (1). Its pronounced physiological activity at first led to the belief that it was an alkaloid but it was early shown that only the elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen were present (2). It was found by Paterno and Oglialoro (9) that picrotoxin could be separated into two substances, picrotoxinin and picrotin the former retaining the physiological activity whilst the latter was inactive. Picrotoxin is considered a molecular compound rather than a mixture (3,4).