Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 19, 2025

Author Spotlight: Discovering New Alkaloids in Plants with Advanced Mass Spectrometry Techniques
Published on: March 8, 2024
Tropane alkaloid biosynthesis: a centennial review
Jian-Ping Huang1,2, Yong-Jiang Wang1, Tian Tian1,3
1State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650204, China. sxhuang@mail.kib.ac.cn.
Abstract:
Covering: 1917 to 2020Tropane alkaloids (TAs) are a remarkable class of plant secondary metabolites, which are characterized by an 8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]octane (nortropane) ring. Members of this class, such as hyoscyamine, scopolamine, and cocaine, are well known for their long history as poisons, hallucinogens, and anaesthetic agents. Since the structure of the tropane ring system was first elucidated in 1901, organic chemists and biochemists have been interested in how these mysterious tropane alkaloids are assembled in vitro and in vivo. However, it was only in 2020 that the complete biosynthetic route of hyoscyamine and scopolamine was clarified, and their de novo production in yeast was also achieved. The aim of this review is to present the innovative ideas and results in exploring the story of tropane alkaloid biosynthesis in plants from 1917 to 2020. This review also highlights that Robinson's classic synthesis of tropinone, which is one hundred years old, is biomimetic, and underscores the importance of total synthesis in the study of natural product biosynthesis.
More Related Videos
07:59A Customizable Approach for the Enzymatic Production and Purification of Diterpenoid Natural Products
Published on: October 4, 2019
07:30A Direct, Regioselective and Atom-Economical Synthesis of 3-Aroyl-N-hydroxy-5-nitroindoles by Cycloaddition of 4-Nitronitrosobenzene with Alkynones
Published on: January 21, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Biosynthesis in Bacteria
Amino Acid Biosynthetic Pathways
Biosynthesis of Nucleic Acids
Biosynthesis of Polysaccharides
Insulin: Biosynthesis, Chemistry, and Preparation
Damage or functional impairment of β-cells inhibits insulin production, leading to diabetes. Diabetes treatment...
Biosynthesis of Lipids