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Isolation of β‐Nitropropionic Acid from Crownvetch 1
Author(s) -
Gustine D. L.,
Shenk J. S.,
Moyer B. G.,
Barnes R. F.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1974.00021962006600050010x
Subject(s) - weanling , forage , chemistry , bioassay , chromatography , column chromatography , aqueous solution , aqueous two phase system , zoology , biology , botany , organic chemistry , ecology , endocrinology
Compounds that are toxic when fed to meadow voles ( Microtus pennsylvanicus ) have been isolafed from freshcut, oven‐dried crownvetch ( Coronilla varia L.) forage. This activity was detected by weanling meadow vole bioassays in which weight change, diet intake, and death were recorded during 6‐day feeding trials. The compounds were extracted from dried, ground forage with 95% ethanol. Nonpolar compounds were precipitated by addition of water, and the active compounds remained in aqueous solution. The active compounds remained in the aqueous phase after partitioning with chloroformethanol (8.5:1.5), but were extracted into the organic phase during partitioning with ethyl formate. They were further purified by passage through a polyamide column, and then fractionated by silicic acid column chromatography. From the final fractions, β‐nitropropionic acid (BNPA) was isolated. This is the first report of the presence of BNPA in crownvetch. Weanling voles fed crownvetch and BNPA ~in diets at 20 and 0.15%, respectively, showed identical responses, thus indicating that BNPA is a toxic factor in crownvetch.