Extracts of the seeds of Picralima nitida (fam. Apocynaceae) have been reported to have opioid analgesic activity. In this investigation, isolated tissue bioassays and radioligand binding assays have been used to determine the opioid activity of five alkaloids--akuammidine, akuammine, akuammicine,
Akuammine [1], an indolomonoterpene alkaloid, which is the major component of the seeds of Picralima nitida, was reduced to dihydroakuammine [4]. This compound has structural analogy with eseroline [7], for which affinity for opiate receptors was reported. The present investigation showed that 1 and