More Introductory Material from “Medicine Quest”
Plotkin Lecture NCSTA 2000 Fall Greensboro
Natural Products Chemistry: “ The Poison is the dose”
Poisons have Antiviral Activity
I. “Fungus among us” Cordyceps fungus reated to the toadstool Fungus grows on exoskeleton goes inside and devours nonvital organs part of brain
Live at tree top fungus eats the insect
spread lots of spores- this is source of cyclosporin which is an immunosuppresant which allows surgery especially organ transplants.
“Can you believe this organism is referred to as a lowly organism?”
II. Tropical Insects:
N1 811 does suppress immune system or antibodies and AIDS blocks reproduction
This makes nature more important than before final unique molecules
3 x 109 ways to make molecules: Western Medicines need cures for depression, schizophrenia and other mental illness.
III. Crab Spider eats Bee: must kill or be stung
Nervous system: Na, K membrane transport. Spider venom prevents transport therefore death to victim of bite.
IV. Scorpions: More important than Pandas, Rhinoceros and elephants.
Protect the species (of scorpion) because they are there.
Venom- helped to map human nervous system. Many classes of drugs were used.
V. Gila Monsters: Molecule that controls level of sugar in blood
Diabetes kills more than 4 times more people than Breast Cancer
VI. African Vipers: anticoagulant
Merck aggristatin
Coagulation is a 32 step cascade multi-step process
Cost $1x109 per year to care for diabetics.
VII. Copperheads in the Carolinas:
Not much anticoagulants .
Have a compound that interferes with antigens and tumors that send out fibers -this cpd stops growth ie stop Breast Cancer tumors
VIII. Rainforest: 22 years
Spices make food better
Mace: more important to kill bacteria
Spice Trade: “Origin of democracy”
Magii: Frankensense and Muir, Incense, goodies
Muir = “Gift of Life”, strong antibiotic properties
IX. Serendipity: Government gives Award for most wasteful funding.
Proxmire Award was given for
Firefly research: gene for luciferase used to see if genes are turned on
X. TB: is drug resistant
The gene that codes for luciferase is used to test the TB bacteria when combined with an antibiotic:
If light appears, it is a drug resistant strain i.e. TB will grow.
Biological Threat: Drug resistant bacteria swap plasmids
Suriname: found new genus of plant
Catsclaw: in health food stores in NC
Actually lichen on Catsclaw- contains alkaloids
Good or bad effects can happen
Need to know which species
XI. Cone Snails: kill by shooting out poison
Proboscis in paintings by Rembrandt
Kill human scuba divers
-This drug can be effective pain killer
-it is an opiate derivative (opiates are addictive, have confusing side effects)
-This poison has none of the opiate drawbacks
- Tanzania: collect daisies and swallow them whole
Monkeys’ Medicine Chest- new antibiotics inside in small sacks of leaves, if swollow whole sacks don’t open leaves have intestinal parasite
We are a planet of Beatles
Somari
Rhinoceroos
Smiley face
Dusthead
Frogs: large source of Biologically Active Molecules
Poison dart blow dart or skin
Abbott Labs in Illinois
New painkiller: different from morphine or cone snail
Green Frog: Green Monkey Frog “The Amazons”
Cut hands, rub frogs on cuts to heal
-heartbeat goes through the roof- lost bodily functions-woke 6 hours later felt like a god for 2 days
Use for Blood Pressure possibly
Peptids new high blood pressure medicine
“No Matter how weird” could be therapeutic
luciferase, FRFMide
Anticoagulants
Leeches: suck blood RP pilhrin
New anticoagulant based on leaches
Vampire Bats: suck blood
New anticoagulants
“Every Useful Plant learned of from local people”
Shaman Genius:
Combine plants smoke and dances with spiritual
A lot to learn
Bush Negro from N.E. Amazon
Escape to the Interior
True warriors never defeated
Maroons- 5 different tribes
Each write different pharmacopica
-get sickle cell anemia and treat it
Brazil: Shaman killed many
His son-in-law “you will not live long enough to regret argument”
Found dead in hammock
Tested tissues found nothing
*How to ask questions*
What happens now?
Magic, Black Magic, Dosage
Healing Earache, Dandruff, Aching Back, Diabetes
Ex: Diabetes Blood Sugar 500----B6 in 12 hours
3 days/week------now go for 1 month
“How to Bring Them Together”
Problem: ‘The Culture is Dying, Disappearing faster than the Rain Forests”
“AmazonTeam.org”
Shaman’s Apprentice program with Harvard Medical School
N.W. Amazon, South Central Amazon, Brazil, Suriname Medicine Men usually resent each other
“Amazon Conservation Team” .org
Amazon Websites
nice picture of monkeys and Indians
highest biodiversity
“conservation.org”
“ACT”
amazonteam.aa.psiweb.com/focus/index.html
accessexcellence.org/RC/enthobotany/page3.html/page4
“Medicinal Plants”
Cinchona, Coca, Curare, pilocarpine, and pineapple
accessexcellence.org/TSN/S/chromatography_background.html
Tales of Shaman’s Apprentice Overview
- Through the Emerald Door
“The tropical rain forest s the greatest expression of life on earth”
Thomas Lovejoy 1983
II. Professor Richard Evans Schultes died week of April 6 2001
Father of ethnobotany: how people in region use plants
-foods, religion, hallucinogen, poisons
-photos of Indians hunting, fishing, and shamans
-2000 plants for medicine
III. The Amazon
-Home to the largest eagle, snake, anteater, armadillo, spider, freshwater turtle, and freshwater fish
-Toad that weighs 7lbs
-Rodent that weighs 120lbs, Capy Bara
-1/4 ton catfish
-1 in every 4 plants on earth in Amazon
-Many plants have chemicals toxic to insects, why affect humans differently- nutritious, poison, hallucinogenic, or theraputic
IV. Most Human Powerful Rxns to plant alkalods: 1N and 2C
-Stimulants: caffeine
-Addictive: cocain, heroin, and nicotine
-Poison: strychnine
-Analgesics: Codeine, morphine
-Hallucinogens: meseolin, and psilocybin
-Alkaline- bitter- Quinone (most important of 30)- cure malasia (more deaths than any other disease)- bark of cinchona tree (30 alkaloids)- Southern American Indians, Peru and Ecuador
-Wonder drugs waiting to be found
-Bugs can develop resistance to synthetics but not usually natural ones
-Ginko: 280 million years ago for asthma or allergic Rxns
-Taxol from Pacific Yew Tree: orarian cancer- Indians used for veneral disease arthritis
-Since 1900: 90 tribes extinct in Brazil- Rain Forest disappears at 100 acres/minute
-By 2000, 10% of plants extinct
-Shaman lore gone
V. Albert Hoffmann:
-Inventor of LSD
-Isolated psilocybin
-Cardiac beta blocker
VI. Rosy Periwinkle
- 70 alkaloids
- 6 have antitumor properties
- vinblastine: soaked whole plant in alcohol
- injected into rats; decreased WBC
VII. Eli Lilly:
- annual 100 millions
-Not one penny back to Madagascar
VII. Pasteur
-“Chance favors the prepared mind.”
Chapter 2 “Search for the Black Caiman” –30 ft long
First trip July 1979
Four eye fish
Epiphytes-airplants
Cuckoo relative with claws on wing
Black Caimon- nutrient concentrators for plankton
Longest mammal: tapir .25 tons
Spices:
Volatile oils
Spices: allsice, chili pepper, cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mace, turmerie, vanilla, paprika
Seed Dispersal: 3 pass through to germinate
Plants evolve chem. defenses to bugs and insects
-Dev medicine
-Latex rubber trees
-Other imp. chem.. use
-Waxes, fibers
Chapter 3 “Among the Maroons”
-Suriname: cultural mosaic
-NE shoulder of S. America