PRODUCTION OF TROPANE BASED ALKALOID

PURPOSE:To industrially and advantageously obtain the subject compound, such as scopolamine, useful as an analgesic agent, etc., without forming nicotine derivatives, etc., as a by-product, by culturing adventitious roots of Datura.arborea L. which is a tropane based alkaloid-producing plant. CONSTITUTION:Leaves of Datura.arborea L. as a tropane based alkaloid- producing plant are sterilized, cut, then, bedded on an agar culture medium containing indolebutyric acid and cultured to cut out adventitious roots developed from the leaf pieces. The adventitious roots are subsequently transplanted to a liquid culture medium and subcultured for 1 year. The cultured adventitious roots are then dried and extracted with chloroform-methanol and 1N sulfuric acid is added to the resultant extract solution. An alkaloid layer is subsequently transferred to a sulfuric acid layer and aqueous ammonia and chloroform are further added thereto. The resultant alkaloids are then transferred to the chloroform and subsequently concentrated under reduced pressure to afford the aimed tropane based alkaloids (e.g., scopolamine).