Pyrrolizidine alkaloids in overwintering monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) from mexico

Summary North American populations of the monarch butterfly,Danaus plexippus, have been found to contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids and their N-oxides. Analytical methods (TLC, GC, and GC/MS) have been developed to isolate, quantitate, and structurally elucidate the alkaloids. Examples of at least two classes of pyrrolizidine alkaloids have been identified, the macrocyclic diesters, senecionine, integerrimine, and seneciphylline, and the monoesters, echinatine, intermedine, and lycopsamine.21 November 1986This work was supported by NSF (Grants BSR-81-19391 and BSR-81-19382), and a Stauffer Chemical Company fellowship. We thank David Hodapp, Mark Stelljes, and Cordula Bruenner for technical help, Dr T.P. Krick, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn., USA, for assistance in GC/MS analysis of PAs, and Dr J.A. Edgar, CSIRO, Parkville, Victoria, Australia, for samples of authentic reference compounds.