CHEMISTRY OF THE TROPANE ALKALOIDS AND RELATED-COMPOUNDS .47. ENZYMES CATALYZING THE REDUCTION OF TROPINONE TO TROPINE AND PSI-TROPINE ISOLATED FROM THE ROOTS OF DATURA-INNOXIA

The roots of greenhouse-grown plants of Datura innoxia have yielded a crude enzyme preparation which catalyses the reduction of tropinone to tropine and psi-tropine in the presence of NADPH or NADH. This crude enzyme preparation favoured the production of psi-tropine over tropine. A significant synergistic effect was observed when both NADPH and NADH were added to the incubation mixture. A partial separation of two enzymatic activities was achieved, one catalysing the formation of tropine and the other psi-tropine. The Datura enzyme failed to catalyse the oxidation of tropine to tropinone in the presence of NADP+. 2-Carbomethoxy-3-tropinone, which is a precursor of cocaine in Erythroxylum coca, was not reduced to methyl ecgonine when incubated with the Datura enzyme and NADPH.