Description
This glycosidic alkaloid has been obtained from the dried leaves of Lycopersicum
pimpinelli/olium (Syn. Solanum racemigerum) and also occurs in L. esculentum;
L. hirsutum; L. peruvianum; L. peruvianum var. chutatum and L. putatum. The
alkaloid forms colourless needles from MeOH and has a somewhat indefinite
melting point about 270°C. It is laevorotatory with [α]20D - 30° (pyridine) and
on hydrolysis with H2S04 yields tomatidine, I mole of galactose, 2 moles of
glucose and 1 mole of xylose. The tetrasaccharide unit is known as lycotetraose.
Partial hydrolysis with acid yields a series of products depending upon which,
and how many, of the sugar residues are split off from the molecule. Those
which have been isolated are: tomatidine lycotriose I (galactose-glucose-glucose);
tomatidine lycotriose II (galactose-glucose-xylose); tomatidine lycobiose
(galactose-glucose) and tomatidine-galactose.
Definition
ChEBI: A steroid alkaloid that is tomatidine in which the hydroxy group at position 3 is linked to lycotetraose, a tetrasaccharide composed of two units of D-glucose, one unit of D-xylose, and one unit of D-galac
ose.
Purification Methods
Tomatine is recrystallised from MeOH, EtOH, aqueous EtOH or dioxane/NH3. It is almost insoluble in pet ether, Et2O or H2O. [Reichstein Angew Chem 74 887 1962, Beilstein 27 III/IV 1954.]
References
Fontaine et al., Arch. Biochem., 18,467 (1948)
Kuhn, Low., Ber., 81, 552 (1948)
Kuhn, Low, Gauhe., ibid, 83,448 (1950)
Fontaine et al., Arch. Biochem., 27,461 (1950)
Fontaine et al., J. Amer. Chern. Soc., 73, 878 (1951)
Kuhn, Low, Trischmann., Angew. Chern., 68, 212 (1956)
Kuhn et al., Ber., 90, 203 (1957)