BOOK REVIEW: DICTIONARY OF PLANT TOXINS, edited by Jeffrey B. Harborne and Herbert Baxter with...
1
Book Review DICTIONARY OF PLANT TOXINS, edited by Jerey B. Harborne and Herbert Baxter with Gerard P. Moss, Wiley, Chichester, 1996. No. of pages: xvi 523, price £175.00. ISBN 0-471-95107-2. As Professor Harborne says in his Introduction (7 pp), it has been recognized from antiquity that some plants are toxic to humans and their domestic animals. However, plants which may be relatively harmless to mammals may be highly toxic to birds, fish, molluscs and insects. Since many phytophagous insects confine themselves to feeding on only a handful of plant species, the others may produce toxins against them. The purpose of the Dictionary is to list those plant toxins which are known or which are likely to have adverse eects on any or every form of animal life. For the sake of completeness, compounds known for their antifungal and antibacterial properties are also included. In the Dictionary, ‘plant’ is used to include all vascular plants and algae and the toxins of the blue-green algae are also included. Some plant toxins have useful medicinal actions at sub-lethal concentrations and notes on these uses are included. The Introduction continues with general comments about plant sources and the major classes of plant toxins. Table 1 lists representative plants poisonous to humans, while Table 2 lists those poisonous to livestock: only Oenanthe crocata and Taxus baccata appear on both lists. Plant toxins may be conveniently divided into two classes: those containing nitrogen and those without. The nitrogen-based toxins include non-protein amino acids, cyanogenic glucosides, glucosinolates, organic nitro compounds and alkaloids. At least 10,000 alka- loids are known with a great range of structure from the simple coniine of hemlock to the hexacyclic solanine of potato. It has been estimated that 50% of cattle deaths due to grazing were caused by pyrrolizidine alkaloids of Senecio species. Diterpenoid alkaloids such as aconitine are also harmful to cattle. Apart from their toxic proper- ties, some alkaloids have been shown to have teratogenic eects. Few plant proteins are toxic, but those that are include abrin, the first entry in the Dictionary, and ricin from the castor bean. By comparison the non-nitrogen containing toxins are less numerous but include cardiac glucosides, saponins, diterpenoids from Rhododendron, sesquiterpene lactones in the Compositae, quinones and furocoumarins. Simple toxic compounds include mono- fluoroacetic acid and oxalic acid. The Introduction concludes with a useful list of 33 references to plant toxins. For each of the 1455 entries, common names with synonyms, chemical class and sub-class are given. The chemical structure, with indicated stereochemistry, is combined with the Chemical Abstracts Service registry number, molecular weight and chemical formula. The plant sources with family names are followed by brief notes about the biological activity and a single reference usually to the isolation from one of the mentioned sources. To me the restriction to a single reference is the greatest drawback to the book. This reference may or may not describe the biological activity but, if not, surely a reference to such activity would be more valuable in this Dictionary. The format is similar to that of the Dictionary of Organic Compounds, but with biological rather than chemical information. I suspect that in most cases the reference given will also be in the Dictionary of Organic Compounds. So the question that keeps coming to mind is, ‘‘Who is this Dictionary for?’’ Not for chemists, and the brief details of biological action suggest that it will not be very useful to biologists. Nevertheless it will provide a rapid entry into the literature of plant toxins. Perhaps the most useful aspect of this Dictionary is pointing out the lack of informa- tion, especially quantitative, on the biological activity of plant products. For example, the first entry gives the LD 50 for abrin in mice but the next LD 50 given is for ambeline, 70 entries later. Of the 165 entries under A, only six give LD 50 values. For readers of the Flavour and Fragrance Journal, many of the toxic compounds are bitter antifeedants such as alkaloids and saponins. A rough count suggests that about 35% of the toxins listed are alkaloids (about 5% of known alkaloids in the book), 8% sesquiterpenoid and 6% triterpenoid derivatives. Few of the toxins are volatile but the cyano- phoric plants will release hydrogen cyanide when crushed and the glucosinolates will produce mustard oils on hydrolysis. The Dictionary is most attractively produced. The cover is a coloured photograph of the fruits and leaves of Taxus baccata with the structure of taxol imposed upon it. Within the book the type and structures are all very clear. Somewhat surprisingly for a dictionary, there is a subject index (47 pp), also a species index (47 pp), a molecular formula index (21 pp) and a common name index (11 pp). ROGER STEVENS Threlkeld, UK # 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. FLAVOUR AND FRAGRANCE JOURNAL, VOL. 12, 221 (1997)
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Transcript of BOOK REVIEW: DICTIONARY OF PLANT TOXINS, edited by Jeffrey B. Harborne and Herbert Baxter with...
Book Review
DICTIONARY OF PLANT TOXINS, edited by Je�rey B.Harborne and Herbert Baxter with Gerard P. Moss,Wiley, Chichester, 1996. No. of pages: xvi � 523, price£175.00. ISBN 0-471-95107-2.
As Professor Harborne says in his Introduction (7 pp), ithas been recognized from antiquity that some plants aretoxic to humans and their domestic animals. However,plants which may be relatively harmless to mammalsmay be highly toxic to birds, ®sh, molluscs and insects.Since many phytophagous insects con®ne themselves tofeeding on only a handful of plant species, the othersmay produce toxins against them. The purpose of theDictionary is to list those plant toxins which are knownor which are likely to have adverse e�ects on any orevery form of animal life. For the sake of completeness,compounds known for their antifungal and antibacterialproperties are also included. In the Dictionary, `plant' isused to include all vascular plants and algae and thetoxins of the blue-green algae are also included. Someplant toxins have useful medicinal actions at sub-lethalconcentrations and notes on these uses are included. TheIntroduction continues with general comments aboutplant sources and the major classes of plant toxins.Table 1 lists representative plants poisonous to humans,while Table 2 lists those poisonous to livestock: onlyOenanthe crocata and Taxus baccata appear on bothlists. Plant toxins may be conveniently divided into twoclasses: those containing nitrogen and those without.The nitrogen-based toxins include non-protein aminoacids, cyanogenic glucosides, glucosinolates, organicnitro compounds and alkaloids. At least 10,000 alka-loids are known with a great range of structure from thesimple coniine of hemlock to the hexacyclic solanine ofpotato. It has been estimated that 50% of cattle deathsdue to grazing were caused by pyrrolizidine alkaloids ofSenecio species. Diterpenoid alkaloids such as aconitineare also harmful to cattle. Apart from their toxic proper-ties, some alkaloids have been shown to have teratogenice�ects. Few plant proteins are toxic, but those that areinclude abrin, the ®rst entry in the Dictionary, and ricinfrom the castor bean. By comparison the non-nitrogencontaining toxins are less numerous but include cardiacglucosides, saponins, diterpenoids from Rhododendron,sesquiterpene lactones in the Compositae, quinones andfurocoumarins. Simple toxic compounds include mono-¯uoroacetic acid and oxalic acid. The Introductionconcludes with a useful list of 33 references to planttoxins.
For each of the 1455 entries, common names withsynonyms, chemical class and sub-class are given. Thechemical structure, with indicated stereochemistry, iscombined with the Chemical Abstracts Service registrynumber, molecular weight and chemical formula. Theplant sources with family names are followed by briefnotes about the biological activity and a single referenceusually to the isolation from one of the mentionedsources. To me the restriction to a single reference isthe greatest drawback to the book. This reference mayor may not describe the biological activity but, if not,surely a reference to such activity would be morevaluable in this Dictionary. The format is similar to thatof the Dictionary of Organic Compounds, but withbiological rather than chemical information. I suspectthat in most cases the reference given will also be in theDictionary of Organic Compounds. So the question thatkeeps coming to mind is, ``Who is this Dictionary for?''Not for chemists, and the brief details of biologicalaction suggest that it will not be very useful to biologists.Nevertheless it will provide a rapid entry into theliterature of plant toxins. Perhaps the most useful aspectof this Dictionary is pointing out the lack of informa-tion, especially quantitative, on the biological activity ofplant products. For example, the ®rst entry gives theLD50 for abrin in mice but the next LD50 given is forambeline, 70 entries later. Of the 165 entries under A,only six give LD50 values. For readers of the Flavour andFragrance Journal, many of the toxic compounds arebitter antifeedants such as alkaloids and saponins. Arough count suggests that about 35% of the toxinslisted are alkaloids (about 5% of known alkaloids inthe book), 8% sesquiterpenoid and 6% triterpenoidderivatives. Few of the toxins are volatile but the cyano-phoric plants will release hydrogen cyanide whencrushed and the glucosinolates will produce mustardoils on hydrolysis.The Dictionary is most attractively produced. The
cover is a coloured photograph of the fruits and leaves ofTaxus baccata with the structure of taxol imposed uponit. Within the book the type and structures are all veryclear. Somewhat surprisingly for a dictionary, there is asubject index (47 pp), also a species index (47 pp), amolecular formula index (21 pp) and a common nameindex (11 pp).
ROGER STEVENS
Threlkeld, UK
# 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
FLAVOUR AND FRAGRANCE JOURNAL, VOL. 12, 221 (1997)
