tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934736322935859694.post7834860817254700427..comments2024-01-14T15:59:39.577-08:00Comments on Off the Hook Astronomy: Deadly Nightshade in TorontoAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12685811015323143403noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934736322935859694.post-31563062188437023072010-08-07T20:25:49.159-07:002010-08-07T20:25:49.159-07:00Solanaceae are indeed very cool.
I am under the i...Solanaceae are indeed very cool.<br /><br />I am under the impression that all solanaceae contain anticholinergic tropane alkaloids. Solanine is not actually a tropane alkaloid but a glycoalkaloid acting on calcium channels & precipitating cellular death; it deals non-specific damage to nerve cells, but at normal concentrations (in a healthy ripe plant) it's not very dangerous. Deadly nightshade, on the other hand, is particularly poisonous because it contains a high concentration of atropine. Atropine is a competitive antagonist of acetylcholine receptors, meaning that it prevents the regulatory functions of the parasympathetic nervous system from occurring at the pre- & post-ganglionic level, leading to widespread dysfunctions & eventually death by cardiac or respiratory arrest (or any number of complications pertaining to anticholinergic action in the brain). I am amazed that anyone would ever think of imbibing atropine recreationally; might as well shoot up with curare. <br /><br />Though it's difficult to tell which solanaceae alkaloid you might be allergic to, it is most likely not solanine. It seems that eggplant would only ever contain trace amounts of the stuff, & so if you were specifically allergic to solanine you would more than likely be allergic to most if not all of the solanaceae. It seems to me more likely that you (& possibly myself also, as pertains to my tomato allergy) are allergic to a very specific tropane, or possibly to a chemically inactive constituent of the plant. Allergies often make limited sense.<br /><br />I think such allergies are probably advantageous from an evolutionary perspective -- aversion to solanaceae means reduced likelihood of tropane alkaloid toxicosis, so we may think of ourselves as evolved beings. In modern Congo, a similar allergy to cassava might have prevented some people from becoming paralysed.Etiennehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04234391141754951643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5934736322935859694.post-59998172940793040402010-08-07T19:26:00.870-07:002010-08-07T19:26:00.870-07:00I beat mahjong!
It only took all day.I beat mahjong!<br />It only took all day.Etiennehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04234391141754951643noreply@blogger.com