ABSTRACT
Comenius University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology of Drugs, SK-832 32 Bratislava, Kalinciakova 8, Slovak
1 INTRODUCTION
The presence of morphinane alkaloids (thebaine, codeine and morphine), together with the secophthalidisoquinoline alkaloids (narceine, nornarceine, narceinimide), phthalidisoquinoline alkaloids (narcotine, narcotoline), benzyltetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids (reticuline, laudanosine, codamine, tetrahydropapaverine) and aromatic benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (papaverine, pacodine) is characteristic of Papaversomniferum L. The carbon skeleton of these alkaloids is derived from two molecules of tyrosine (Spencer, 1968; Mothes et al., 1985). The aromatic amino acids, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan are formed via the shikimate pathway. The availability of tyrosine for alkaloid biosynthetic pathways is an important determinant of the endogenous level of alkaloids.
