| Summary: | Includes bibliographical references. === Many members of the Ranunculaceae have antibacterial and antifungal activity due to the liberation of protoanemonin from ranunculin or from some other, as yet unidentified, precursore Also many members of the family contain alkaloids and, in particular the genus thalictrum of the subfamily Anemoneae has given rise to much interest due to the wide variety of biabenzylisoquinoline and other related alkaloids which have been isolated from it, especially since a number of these have shown antitumour activity. In connection with this it was noted that the genus knowltonia which is also a member of this subfamily had not been subjected to chemical study. Thus a typical member of this genus, Knowltonia capensis, was examined for its chemical constituents. The plant was tested and was found to have antibiotic activity and possibly also antitumour activity, but this has still to be confirmed. Extraction of the dried plant yielded anemonin, choliine and glucose, and revealed that the plant was completely lacking in alkaloids. Extraction of the fresh plant yielded ranunculin and protoanemonin. Thus it was shown that the genus knowltonia,, as typified by Knowltonia capensis, is chemotaxonomically related to the other genera of its subfamily, the Anemoneae, with the exception of the genus thalictrum which appears to be anomalous.
|
|---|
