Biosynthesis of meteloidine

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0031-9422(72)85023-4

Tropine-3β-³H, N-methyl-¹⁴C was fed to Datura meteloides plants. After 7 days radioactive meteloidine, scopolamine, hyoscyamine, and 7β-hydroxy-3α,6β-ditigloyloxytropane were isolated from the plants and found to have essentially the same ³H/¹⁴C ratio as in the administered tropine. Degradation of the meteloidine established that all its tritium was located at C-3 and all the ¹⁴C was on the N-methyl group, indicating that tropine is a direct precursor of teloidine.