Abstract
A method has been devised for the extraction of a toxic material from the New Zealand stinging nettle Urtica ferox. After extraction with water physical methods were employed to isolate the toxic material found in the stinging hairs. A small amount of what appears to be a fairly pure substance was eventually obtained.
The toxic material was round to be insoluble in a wide range of organic solvents but soluble in water suggesting a highly polar compound.
The inability of the toxic material to pass through a dialysis membrane and its rate of flow through a column containing Sephadex of high molecular weight exclusion limit indicated a high molecular weight.
Elemental analysis of the purified toxic: material revealed a relatively high nitrogen content.
Thin layer chromatography has been used to confirm the presence of acetylcholine, histamine, and 5-hydroxytrypamine, in the stinging hairs.
Pharmacological studies on a variety of preparations indicated a fairly specific action on the central nervous system. The isolated material had a marked local anaesthetic effect but little action on isolated smooth muscle or skeletal muscle.