Radioactive Tracer Feeding Experiments and Product Analysis to Determine the Biosynthetic Capability of Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) Leaves for Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids

Thomas Stegemann; Lars H Kruse; Dietrich Ober

doi:10.21769/BioProtoc.2719

Radioactive Tracer Feeding Experiments and Product Analysis to Determine the Biosynthetic Capability of Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) Leaves for Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids

Bio Protoc. 2018 Feb 5;8(3):e2719. doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.2719.

Authors

Thomas Stegemann¹, Lars H Kruse¹, Dietrich Ober¹

Affiliation

¹ Botanisches Institut und Botanischer Garten, Universität Kiel, Kiel, Germany.

Abstract

This protocol delivers a method to determine the biosynthetic capability of comfrey leaves for pyrrolizidine alkaloids independently from other organs like roots or flowers. The protocol applies and combines radioactive tracer experiments with standard and modern techniques like thin layer chromatography (TLC), solid-phase extraction (SPE), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

Keywords: Alkaloid; GC-MS; Plant-organ specificity; Radio-HPLC; Radio-TLC; SPE; Tracer.