Recognition, Isolation, and Characterization of the Peptide Toxins

Abstract

The toxic peptides mentioned in the foregoing chapter are not distributed in the same proportions in all mushroom species in which they have been recognized, and some species lack one or the other component. The studies described in this survey have almost exclusively been carried out with Amanita phalloides. This toadstool is rather abundant in Germany and it contains the toxic peptides in the greatest variety and in concentrations sufficiently high for the isolation also of minor components in amounts large enough for characterization. Usually the mushrooms were placed in methanol shortly after gathering, freeze dryed or stored in the frozen state, although the latter two methods are more expensive.