Marcello Nicoletti Studies on species of the Solanaceae , with an enphasis on Withania somnifera

The family of Solanaceae includes about 90 genera and over 2000 speeies. Among them a great number of important plants has agronomie and phannaeeutieal uses. They contai n alkaloids and triterpenoids as main aetive eonstituents. Among the last eompounds, it is important to eonsider a group of eompounds speeifie to Salanaceae, the withanolides, present in partieular in Withania samnifera. W samnifera is reported to have several properties: analgesie, antipyretie, antiinflammatory, abortifieient, but in partieular it is well known and used in the Indian traditional medicine as atonie. Our researeh on W. somnifera was prompted by the possibility of studying the ltalian plants of W somnifera and verifying their chemotype on the basis of withanolide composition. These plants were repropagated by in vitra culture, but only traees ofwithanolides. with prevalenee ofwithanolide L, were deteeted by HPLC in the regenerated tissues.