Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids
Synonyms
Alkaloids, Pyrrolizidine
Alkaloids, Senecio
Senecio Alkaloids
A group of ALKALOIDS, characterized by a nitrogen-containing necine, occurring mainly in plants of the BORAGINACEAE; COMPOSITAE; and LEGUMINOSAE plant families. They can be activated in the liver by hydrolysis of the ester and desaturation of the necine base to reactive electrophilic pyrrolic CYTOTOXINS.