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Senecio spp.: Biochemistry of the Formation of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in Root Cultures

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Medicinal and Aromatic Plants VI

Part of the book series: Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry ((AGRICULTURE,volume 26))

Abstract

The genus Senecio (Asteraceae) is of cosmopolitan distribution and with ± 2000 species one of the largest genera of the plant kingdom. The most characteristic natural constituents found in Senecio species are the pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA). To date, 204 Senecio spp. have been reported to contain PA and the term “Senecio alkaloids” is still frequently used to account for the predominance of PA in Senecio species. The abundance of PA in species such as Senecio jacobaea (Fig. 1) is responsible for the high potential toxicity of most Senecio species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Pharmazeutische Biologie der Technischen Universität, Mendelssohnstrasse 1, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany

    T. Hartmann

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  1. A-137 New Friends Colony, 110065, New Delhi, India

    Y. P. S. Bajaj

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© 1994 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Hartmann, T. (1994). Senecio spp.: Biochemistry of the Formation of Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids in Root Cultures. In: Bajaj, Y.P.S. (eds) Medicinal and Aromatic Plants VI. Biotechnology in Agriculture and Forestry, vol 26. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-57970-7_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-57970-7_23

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-63420-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-57970-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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