Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXVII, Issue 2
Written by Monica ENACHE, Radu MORARU
Datura sp. and related plants mandrake (Mandragora officinarum and M. autumnalis), black henbane or stinking nightshade (Hyoscyamus niger), belladonna (Atropa belladonna) and angel's trumpets (Brugmansia sp.) are considered some of the deadliest plant species. Datura stramonium (jimson weed, thorn apple or devil's snare) is a weed that sometimes is cultivated as ornamental for its large, white funnel-shaped flowers, but it is considered dangerous due to accidental or deliberate ingestion of any plant parts. Tropane alkaloids (atropine, hyoscyamine, scopolamine) with strong anticholinergic properties can cause a variety of adverse effects that can lead to death in humans and other animals. They are pharmaceutically active and their mind-altering properties have been known since ancient times. Characteristic toxic symptoms can also occur after skin penetration alone and neither drying nor boiling decrease the plant toxicity. Naturally occuring alkaloids (for example from Stramonii folium and Daturae innoxiae herba) or synthetic and semisynthetic substitutes have found use in modern medicine too. The present paper comprises a review on the mechanism of toxicity and photomicrographs of characteristic microscopic features of Datura leaf.
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