Detection and Identification of Loline and Its Analogues in Horse Urine

Abstract

Several kinds of loline-type alkaloids, norloline, loline, N-acetylnorloline N-acetylloline N-formylnorloline N-formylloline and N-methylloline were detected in the urine of race-horses. Furthermore, a new compound of the alkaloids, N-senecioylnorloline was also found and identified. These compounds were mainly identified by means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-fourier transform-infrared spectrometry (GC-FT-1R). A certain plant of Gramineae containing four kinds of loline-type alkaloids was found in a bale of hay used for the horse forage. The taxonomic feature of the plant was different from known plants containing loline-type alkaloids. The common fragmentation of loline-type alkaloids under electron ionization was briefly discussed. © 1991, The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan. All rights reserved.