Nothofagus nuda

Nothofagus nuda
Nothofagus nuda
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Fagales
Family: Nothofagaceae
Genus: Nothofagus
Species: N. nuda
Binomial name
Nothofagus nuda
Steen.

Nothofagus nuda is a species of plant in the Nothofagaceae family. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea. It is threatened by habitat loss.

In 1927 Nothofagus nuda was reported by J.R. Croft to account for 949 deaths throughout Papua New Guinea.[1] The plant is traditionally used as an herb in culinary dishes throughout the Puri Puri tribes of the Papua New Guinea highlands but results in hypoglycemic shock after ingestion of large doses.[2] Croft reported that wives within the polygamous tribes of the Puri Puri used the herb to poison the patriarchs during tribal disputes that coincided with the winter solstice.[3]

Scientists in Macao Laboratory isolated the active molecule of the plant in late 2006.[4] The molecule was determined to be an IRS-1 adaptor molecule involved the insulin response cascade.[5][6][7]

References

  1. ^ http://www.pngplants.org/References/HandbooksPNG_1.pdf
  2. ^ ASIN 0792274172
  3. ^ http://www.papuaweb.org/dlib/bk/french/03.pdf
  4. ^ http://www.gplmacao.com/index_en.asp
  5. ^ Phanstiel O; Zhou, B; Breitbeil, F; Hardy, K; Kraft, KS; Trantcheva, I; Phanstiel O, 4th (2008), "A delineation of diketopiperazine self-assembly processes: understanding the molecular events involved in Nepsilon-(fumaroyl)diketopiperazine of L-Lys (FDKP) interactions", Mol Pharm 5 (2): 294–315, doi:10.1021/mp700096e, PMID 18254597 
  6. ^ Lambert S; Lambert, S (1999), "Physiological roles of axonal ankyrins in survival of premyelinated axons and localization of voltage-gated sodium channels", J Neurocytol 28 (4–5): 303–318, doi:10.1023/A:1007005528505, PMID 10739573 
  7. ^ Hewlings SJ; Sheffield-Moore, M; Cree, MG; Hewlings, SJ; Aarsland, A; Wolfe, RR; Ferrando, AA (2006), "Atrophy and impaired muscle protein synthesis during prolonged inactivity and stress", J Clin Endocrinol Metab 91 (12): 4836–41, doi:10.1210/jc.2006-0651, PMID 16984982 

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