154 Colchicine 



Santavy and his colleagues have isolated compounds from the 

 corm, seed, truit, and flowers. Their general method involves the 

 extraction from dried powder of particular portions of the plant. 

 Fats are extracted by petrol ether, followed by alcoholic extraction. 

 The use of water, then ether, and finally chloroform brings out an 

 extract demonstrated to have reducible substances when subjected 

 to polarographic analysis. By chromatographic differentiation, specific 

 and identifiable compounds have been reported. Details of the pro- 

 cedures are given in papers written by Santavy and liis associates. "^^ 

 Isolated substances, the chemical and physical properties of which 

 have been observed, are tabulated in Table 5.3. The work by F. San- 

 tavy and liis group extends greatly our knowledge of the specific chem- 

 ical components that may be obtained from tlie Colcliiciim plant. 

 Classification is made by grouping substances as neutral and phenolics, 

 basic and glucosidic compounds. The particular part of the plant 

 used is listed so that others may repeat the isolation of similar com- 

 pounds. 



Substances A, B, C, D, E, F, G, J. and I have been derived from 

 the corm, seed, fruit, and flowers. In some cases the substances liave 

 been found only in certain parts. Pure colchicine is identified as 

 compound A. Desmetliylcolchicine appears to be similar to compoinid 

 C. Another material, colchicerin 3, corresponds to compound G. Bio- 

 logically, these compounds liave different toxicities and produce dif- 

 ferent effects upon mitosis. Compound F is less toxic than colchicine 

 yet more active in blocking mitosis. 



Sunlight induces changes in a solution of colchicine. •'■^ Irradiation 

 changes the structure of colchicine to a product known as lumicolchi- 

 cine. At present two kinds of lumicolchicine, I and II, are obtain- 

 able. Lumicolchicine I is identified with substances obtained from 

 the seed and flower. Lumicolchicine II is similar to compound J. By 

 irradiation and also through chemical treatment, compounds may be 

 converted from one structure to another. These tests show that the 

 stability of pure colchicine must be regarded as a possible source of 

 variation in biological experimentation. 



Only a small portion of this important development in pharma- 

 cognosy has been given here. The possibilities of undiscovered identi- 

 fiable and active compounds open new fields for experimental work. 

 Colchicine has j^rovcd to be a very imique substance. The discovery 

 of related compounds synthesized by the plant is even of greater 

 interest. 



REFERENCES 



1. Albo, G. Sur la signification physiologique de la colchicine dans les diflcientes 

 especes de Colchicum et de Merendera. Arch. Sci. Phys. Nat. 12:227-36. 1901. 



2. Anderson, A., et al. Modified assay methods for crude drugs involving the re- 

 moval of interfering substances by enzymic digestion. I. Modified assav method 



