STUDIES ON VERATRUM ALKALOIDS. XX. ACTIONS OF VERATRUM ALKALOIDS UPON THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM OF MICE

¹ Department of Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

The central nervous actions of 15 pure veratrum alkaloids (eight ester alkaloids, four tertiary amines and three secondary amines) were studied in mice.

The ester alkaloids (protoveratrine A and B, germitetrine B, germitrine, neogermitrine, germerine, veratridine and cevadine) have the common property of causing a retching movement. They lack motor excitatory action on the central nervous system.

The tertiary alkamines cevine, veracevine and germine increase reflex excitability and cause jumping fits. Protoverine has no central excitatory action.

The secondary amine veratramine and its glycoside, veratrosine, cause a unique excitation of which the chief sign is convulsive struggling. Mephenesin and ether antagonize this effect, whereas the common anticonvulsant agents exhibit only slight suppressive influence. The secondary amine jervine has central excitatory actions of which the principal effect is tonic-clonic convulsions.