Chemical Properties
WHITE FINE POWDER
Uses
A cholinergic alkaloid from seeds of the betel nut palm Areca catechu. Anthelmintic (Cestodes); cathartic.
Uses
Arecoline is a muscarinic acetylcholine receptor agonist. Arecoline induces ADP ribosylation of histones and chromatid relaxation in spleen and bone marrow cells. In a study, a controlled trial involving 122 dogs experimentally infected with Echinococcus
Preparation
According to a historical 1911 version of the German Pharmacopoeia, arecoline (as its hydrobromide; Arecoline hydrobromide) was produced from areca nuts using extraction with acidified water followed by several clean-up steps. The first industrial-scale extraction, reported in 1927, was based on the extraction of arecoline with diethyl ether. There are various approaches for the synthetic production of arecoline starting from nicotinic acid and iodomethane; methylamine hydrochloride, formaldehyde and acetaldehyde; or ethyl acrylate and methylamine. The most modern approach involves nicotinic acid methyl ester and methyl iodide.
Arecoline salts such as arecoline hydrochloride or arecoline hydrobromide may be obtained by dissolving arecoline in alcohol of low relative molecular mass (such as methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, butanol, or amyl alcohol) and adding sufficient amounts of acid (hydrochloric or bromic acid) to give a weakly acidic solution. The crystallized salts may be separated from the alcohol by filtration.
General Description
Arecoline is an alkaloid obtained from theseeds of the betel nut (Areca catechu). For many years, nativesof the East Indies have consumed the betel nut as asource of a euphoria-creating substance.
Safety Profile
Poison by parenteral,subcutaneous, and intravenous routes. When heated todecomposition it emits very toxic fumes of HBr and NOx.
Toxicology
Eighty rats were randomly divided into four groups: a high-dose group (1000 mg/kg), a medium-dose group (200 mg/kg), a low-dose group (100mg/kg), and a blank control group. The doses were administered daily via gastric lavage for 14 consecutive days. There were no significant differences in the low-dose Arecoline hydrobromide (Ah) group compared to the control group (P>0.05) with regard to body weight, organ coefficients, hematological parameters, and histopathological changes. In this study, the rats in the high-dose group exhibited clear inhibitory effects on blood biochemical parameters, including ALT, TP, and BUN levels. It was demonstrated that the toxicity reaction was intensified at the higher dosage, and clinical dosing should occur within a safe dosage range. With a continuous increase in the Ah dose, organ damage was aggravated, with different degrees of congestion, degeneration, and necrosis observed. The results accurately reflected the liver and kidney changes, whereas the results for the changes in the lung were poor. Hence, a long-term, continuous high dose of Ah was toxic[4].
