← Back to catalogue
Published

pyrrolizidine alkaloid

vr.tr.pyrrolizidine-alkaloid · thing-q75005794

Let an agent explain pyrrolizidine alkaloids and their occurrence, relay toxicity and food safety limits from regulatory and scientific sources, describe analysis, and route poisoning concerns to medical and veterinary services.

Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.MAT
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Help Poisoning first.

Exposure

Suspected exposure.

Exposure

Exposure.

  1. What should someone do after suspected exposure to a PA-containing plant or product? action
  2. Is the user describing a poisoning, which needs poison control or veterinary services now? boundary

Symptoms

Effects.

Symptoms

Symptoms.

  1. What are the effects of PA toxicity in people and animals, in general terms? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance
Understand The compounds.

Chemistry

Structure and kinds.

Chemistry

Chemistry.

  1. What defines pyrrolizidine alkaloids, and which structural features make some toxic? definition
  2. Is the question about pyrrolizidine alkaloids or another alkaloid class? boundary

Occurrence

Occurrence.

Occurrence

Occurrence.

  1. Which plants and bacteria produce them, and how do they enter honey, tea and herbs? provenance
  2. Which entry fits the specific plant? action
Regulate Regulation and analysis.

Limits

Limits.

Limits

Limits.

  1. What maximum levels apply in foods and herbal products, with sources? provenance
  2. Which sources are cited? provenance

Analysis

Analysis.

Analysis

Analysis.

  1. How are PAs measured in foods by LC-MS methods, in general terms? provenance
  2. Which entry fits food contaminant analysis? action
Context Ecology and history.

Ecology

Ecology.

Ecology

Ecology.

  1. How do insects such as cinnabar moths sequester PAs for their own defence? provenance
  2. Which entry fits chemical ecology? action

History

History.

History

History.

  1. How were PA poisonings recognised, from bread contamination outbreaks to comfrey restrictions? provenance
  2. Which entry fits the history of toxicology? action

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Physical world and living systems
Entry kind
thing
Plane
PHY
Domain
PHY.MAT
Other names and narrower kinds
legonmycin A, N-methyl-2-[2-[2-[1-methyl-4-[2-(methylamino)ethyl]-3-(2-methylprop-1-enyl)-2,3-dihydropyrrolo[1,2-a]indol-1-yl]ethenyl]-1H-indol-3-yl]ethanamine, (5E)-5-[(1S,4S,5R,6S,8S,9S,13R)-9-butyl-4-methyl-2,14-dioxa-10-azapentacyclo[6.5.1.01,5.06,10.09,13]tetradecan-3-ylidene]-4-methoxy-3-methylfuran-2-one, (2R)-2-[(1S,3S,4S,5R,6S,8S,9S,13R)-9-butyl-4-methyl-2,14-dioxa-10-azapentacyclo[6.5.1.01,5.06,10.09,13]tetradecan-3-yl]-3-methoxy-4-methyl-2H-furan-5-one, (2R)-2-[(1S,3S,4S,5R,6R,8S,9S,13R)-9-butyl-4-methyl-2,14-dioxa-10-azapentacyclo[6.5.1.01,5.06,10.09,13]tetradecan-3-yl]-3-methoxy-4-methyl-2H-furan-5-one, 5-[(1R,3Z,4S,5R,6R,9S,12S,13S)-9-butyl-12-hydroxy-4-methyl-2,14-dioxa-10-azapentacyclo[6.5.1.0¹,⁵.0⁶,¹⁰.0⁹,¹³]tetradecan-3-ylidene]-4-methoxy-3-methylfuran-2-one, 5-[(1S,3Z,4S,5S,8S,9R)-9-[(1E,3S)-3-hydroxybut-1-en-1-yl]-4-methyl-2,14-dioxa-10-azapentacyclo[6.5.1.0¹,⁵.0⁶,¹⁰.0⁹,¹³]tetradecan-3-ylidene]-4-methoxy-3-methylfuran-2-one, (Z)-Stemoburkilline, (5E)-5-[(2R)-2-[(1S,2S,6R,7R,8R,9S)-2-butyl-7-hydroxy-11-oxa-3-azatetracyclo[5.3.1.02,6.03,9]undecan-8-yl]propylidene]-4-methoxy-3-methylfuran-2-one, 5-[2-(2-Butyl-7-hydroxy-11-oxa-3-azatetracyclo[5.3.1.02,6.03,9]undecan-8-yl)propylidene]-4-methoxy-3-methylfuran-2-one, (2S)-2-[(1S,3S,4S,5R,6S,8S,9S,13R)-9-[(2S)-2-hydroxybutyl]-4-methyl-2,14-dioxa-10-azapentacyclo[6.5.1.01,5.06,10.09,13]tetradecan-3-yl]-3-methoxy-4-methyl-2H-furan-5-one, 1',2'-Didehydrostemofoline N-oxide

What it is Filled

A large class of alkaloids based on the pyrrolizidine ring system, produced by thousands of plant species in families such as Boraginaceae, Asteraceae and Fabaceae as a defence against herbivores, and also by some bacteria as in the legonmycins; many pyrrolizidine alkaloids are hepatotoxic and carcinogenic after metabolic activation, contaminating herbal products, honey, teas and food, and causing veno-occlusive liver disease in people and livestock, so their levels in food are regulated.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent explain pyrrolizidine alkaloids and their occurrence, relay toxicity and food safety limits from regulatory and scientific sources, describe analysis, and route poisoning concerns to medical and veterinary services.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Pyrrolizidine ring
  • Metabolic activation to toxins
  • Food contamination
  • Plant defence

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Recommend consuming plants or preparations known to contain these alkaloids.
  • Advise on preparing or using any plant extract to poison people or animals.
  • Present a herbal product as safe without testing or regulatory clearance.
  • Dismiss liver symptoms after herbal use as unrelated instead of routing the person to care.

Only with a human decision

  • Any decision about recalling or clearing a food, feed or herbal product.
  • Clinical assessment, diagnosis and treatment decisions for a person who may have been exposed.

May

  • Explain what pyrrolizidine alkaloids are and why food authorities set limits on them in foods such as teas and honey.
  • Report measured levels in food or feed against the limits set by the competent authority.
  • Warn users that some traditional herbal preparations may contain them.
  • Advise a person who may have been exposed to seek medical assessment without requiring prior human approval.

Moral aspects Filled

  • These compounds cause serious liver damage, and exposure often comes through foods people trust.
  • Herbal traditions deserve respect while their documented risks are stated honestly.

Who is affected

  • Consumers of herbal teas and honey
  • Infants and pregnant women
  • Livestock grazing contaminated pasture

Owners Filled

Steward

Nobody owns them; food safety authorities set limits and producers answer for their products.

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q70702 - registry parent class

related

  • alkaloid - in registry terms
  • Boraginaceae - and other plant families
  • hepatic veno-occlusive disease - in poisoning
  • food contaminant - in many jurisdictions

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.pyrrolizidine-alkaloid
  • Wikidata: Q75005794 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q75005794)

Direct properties required Filled

  • known compounds: over 660 count - plus N-oxides
  • EU maximum in tea: 150 micrograms per kg - Regulation 2023/915, sum of PAs
  • producing plant species: about 6000 count - estimate

Recognition required Filled

  • Alkaloids with a pyrrolizidine core
  • Plant defence compounds; hepatotoxic unsaturated types; bacterial legonmycins
  • Pyrrolidine and indolizidine alkaloids have different ring systems
  • Not a visible object; compounds within plants such as ragwort, comfrey and borage.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • explain structure and occurrence
  • relay toxicity and limits
  • describe analysis
  • route poisoning concerns

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Liver damage from contaminated herbal products or food
  • Livestock poisoning from ragwort and heliotrope
  • Agents giving personal medical advice
  • Confusing with other alkaloid classes

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • EU Regulation 2023/915 maximum levels in foods
  • EFSA and national food safety opinions
  • Herbal medicine regulations limiting PA content
  • Feed and livestock safety rules

Context of use required Filled

  • Not applicable; a class of natural compounds.
  • unsaturated hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids such as senecionine and retrorsine
  • saturated non-hepatotoxic types
  • N-oxides
  • bacterial pyrrolizidines such as legonmycin A
  • pyrrolizidine alkaloids in ragwort, comfrey, heliotrope and borage

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q75005794: pyrrolizidine alkaloid - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Pyrrolizidine alkaloid - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should individual alkaloids be separate entries?
  • How should regulatory limits be linked?
  • The registry entry has merged aliases with long systematic names; should they be split off?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q75005794/spec.json