Fast screening method for benzophenanthridine alkaloids in plant cell cultures of California poppy using a dansyl-glycine-β-cyclodextrin molecular recognition system

The association constant K for the host-guest complex comprised of sanguinarine/dansyl-glycine- beta -cyclodextrin was found to be 5.75 X 10 super(5) M. The sensitivity factor( gamma ), which is defined as the ratio of the change of the fluorescence intensity after complex formation to the intensity of free, uncomplexed dansyl-glycine- beta -cyclodextrin, showed an almost linear dependence on analyte concentration up to 50 mu M sanguinarine. This molecular recognition system can be exploited to rapidly estimate the total concentration of benzophenanthridine alkaloids in suspension cultures of Eschscholtzia californica.