MIND BENDING BETA-CARBOLINES
This group of indole alkaloids are of widespread distribution being found in 23 angiosperm plant families, 3 fungi genera, and in a variety of animal tissues[1]. In addition, beta-carbolines can be found in tobacco smoke [2], marijuana smoke [3], and in charred food stuffs [4].
The beta-carbolines do not represent a significant poisoning hazard to livestock due to their very low concentrations. None-the-less, these toxicants are interesting from a chemical perspective in terms of structure-activity relationships. Some of their more interesting aspects are as follows:
This series of web pages was created by an undergraduate student at Cornell University for the AS625 class. All comments and suggestions are welcome.
WARNING: These web pages are only meant to be informative. Neither Cornell University nor the author of this site endorse or recommend the use of these plants.