Osservazioni preliminari, chimiche e farmacologiche, sulla murexina

Summary

(1) Murexine, a new choline derivative found in the hypobranchial body ofMurex trunculus, Murex brandaris, andTritonalia erinacea, was isolated as picrate, picrolonate, styphnate, flavianate, and reineckate. Some preliminary characteristics of these salts are given.

(2) The murexine content of the median zone of the hypobranchial body ofMurex trunculus is extremely high: murexine picrate equivalents of 45–70 mg per g fresh tissue are commonly observed.

(3) Murexine manifests intense nicotinic and curariform actions, but is practically wanting in any muscarinic activity.

The central nervous system is strongly affected by the substance: at first stimulation seems to prevail, but later on, with larger doses, a deep depression regularly develops.

In decapitated cats and dogs murexine causes a significant rise in blood pressure, which is due, at least partially, to a liberation of epinephrine from the adrenal medulla and from the adrenergic nerve terminals.

On the enucleated eye of frogs andOctopoda the substance acts to cause mydriasis and expansion of the iris chromatophora.