Intraspecific variation of major alkaloids in Afghanistan opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.)

Objective: Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) is an important source of physiologically active medicinal alkaloids. It is one of the world’s best medicinal plants and the only commercial source for narcotic analgesics, morphine, codeine, the vasodilator papaverine, the cough suppressant, and the powerful anticancer drug noscapine. The current study aimed to examine the content of major alkaloids in the capsules of seven populations of poppies, collected from Balkh Province, Afghanistan. Methods: Three locations (replications) were considered for each population. In each location, 15 plants with the uniform main capsules were randomly selected. A 1.5 to 2 g of capsule powder was obtained from each population/replication. Such amounts collected from three locations were then mixed to assess the major alkaloids between populations, 200 mg of which was used for extraction. Major alkaloids (morphine, codeine, thebaine, noscapine, and papaverine) were measured, using the HPLC method. Results: The results indicated that the highest amount of noscapine (1398.4 µg/g DW), papaverine (802.6 µg/g DW), and thebaine (1129.2 µg/g DW) were detected in the P1 population, which appeared to be the most valuable medicinal-industrial population. For morphine and codeine, P6 (2947.7 µg/g DW) and P7 (5638.3 µg/g DW), respectively, had the highest amounts of these substances. Pharmacologically, the P4 population having the lowest morphine (narcotic drug) and the highest thebaine (non-narcotic drug) is prescribable for the medication of addicts. Monoploid genome size (2Cx DNA) was positively and significantly related to noscapine, papaverine, and codeine, indicating that a higher genome size population produced more of these alkaloids. The UPGMA phenogram constructed based on 10 variables showed four distinct cluster groups of the studied populations. Conclusion: The P1 population stood out for its medicinal and industrial value due to its high contents of noscapine, papaverine, and thebaine. Conversely, The P4 population, while containing the lowest level of morphine (a narcotic drug), also had a relatively high amount of thebaine (a non-narcotic precursor to other alkaloids). These dual-compounds metabolites make it a potentially useful population to treat drug-affected patients.