Papaver plants can produce diverse
bioactive alkaloids. Papaver rhoeas Linnaeus
(common poppy or corn poppy) is an annual flowering medicinal plant used for
treating cough, sleep disorder, and as a sedative, pain reliever, and food. It
contains various powerful alkaloids like rhoeadine, benzylisoquinoline, and
proaporphine.
To investigate and identify alkaloids in the aerial parts
of P. rhoeas, samples were collected
at different growth stages and analyzed using liquid chromatography coupled
with quadrupole time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry.
A liquid
chromatography with mass spectrometry method was developed for the identification
and metabolite profiling of alkaloids for P.
rhoeas by comparing with Papaver
somniferum. Eighteen alkaloids involved in benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthesis were used to optimize the liquid chromatography gradient
and mass spectrometry conditions. Fifty‐five alkaloids, including
protoberberine, benzylisoquinoline, aporphine, benzophenanthridine, and
rhoeadine‐type alkaloids, were identified authentically or tentatively by
liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time‐of‐flight tandem mass
spectrometry in samples taken during various growth stages.
Rhoeadine alkaloids
were observed only in P. rhoeas samples, and
codeine and morphine were tentatively identified in P. somniferum. The liquid chromatography coupled with
quadrupole time‐of‐flight tandem mass spectrometry method can be a powerful
tool for the identification of diverse metabolites in the genus Papaver. These results may help understand the
biosynthesis of alkaloids in P. rhoeas and evaluate
the quality of this plant for possible medicinal applications.
Availability of Papaver rhoea
