Relative pharmacological effects of a series of quaternary alkaloids isolated from Magnolia and Cocculus plants.

The present report deals with the pharmacological properties of a series of quaternary tetrahydrobenzylisoquinoline, phenylethylamine and phenanthropyridine alkaloids, isolated from Magnolia and Cocculus plants by Prof. Tomita et al. (1). Marsh et al. (2) reported that some of the quaternary alkaloids isolated from the Cocculus plants showed a considerable curare-like activity. Ogiu and Morita (3) showed that magnocurarine and salicifoline, the tetrahydroisoquinoline and phenylethylamine derivatives of the alkaloids revealed potent curare-like actions on the extirpated rectus abdominis muscle of frog, which resembled to d-tubocurarine type of action. Laurifoline (4) and menisperine (5, 6), the phenanthro pyridine derivatives of the alkaloids proved to have a potent ganglion blocking property.