Ophiorrhizine, a new quaternary indole alkaloid related to cinchonamine, from Ophiorrhiza major Ridl.
Abstract
Extraction of the aerial parts of Ophiorrhiza major Ridl. has yielded a new C19 pentacyclic quaternary indole alkaloid, ophiorrhizine. The structure was established as 1 on the grounds of its spectral properties (optical rotation) and its X-ray molecular structure. Its biosynthetic relationship to the Cinchona alkaloids is discussed.