veratridine
Sign in to savethumb|Unlike the typical 6-6-6-5 steroid ring backbone (1), veratridine displays a 6-6-5-6 arrangement (2).Veratridine is a steroidal alkaloid found in plants related to lilies, specifically the genera Veratrum and Schoenocaulon. Upon absorption through the skin or mucous membranes, it acts as a neurotoxin by binding to and preventing the inactivation of voltage-gated sodium ion channels in heart, nerve, and skeletal muscle cell membranes. Veratridine increases nerve excitability and intracellular Ca2+ concentrations.
Article
6 sectionsContents
- Isolation
- Chemistry
- Structure
- Solubility
- Mechanism of action and applications
- References
thumb|Unlike the typical 6-6-6-5 steroid ring backbone (1), veratridine displays a 6-6-5-6 arrangement (2).Veratridine is a steroidal alkaloid found in plants related to lilies, specifically the genera Veratrum and Schoenocaulon. Upon absorption through the skin or mucous membranes, it acts as a neurotoxin by binding to and preventing the inactivation of voltage-gated sodium ion channels in heart, nerve, and skeletal muscle cell membranes. Veratridine increases nerve excitability and intracellular Ca2+ concentrations.
==Isolation== Veratridine has been isolated from the seeds of Schoenocaulon officinale and from the rhizomes of Veratrum album. Like the other steroidal alkaloids found in these plants and similar ones in the Melanthiaceae family, it is present as part of a glycosidal combination, bonded to carbohydrate moieties.