| Published Scientific Papers on Thujone |
Porphyrogenic properties of the terpenes camphor, pinene, and thujone (with a note
on historic implications for absinthe and the illness of Vincent van Gogh).
ABSTRACT ONLY
by Bonkovsky HL, Cable EE, Cable JW, Donohue SE, White EC, Greene YJ, Lambrecht
RW, Srivastava KK, Arnold WN
Published in Biochem Pharmacol., June 1992
on historic implications for absinthe and the illness of Vincent van Gogh).
ABSTRACT ONLY
by Bonkovsky HL, Cable EE, Cable JW, Donohue SE, White EC, Greene YJ, Lambrecht
RW, Srivastava KK, Arnold WN
Published in Biochem Pharmacol., June 1992
Camphor, alpha-pinene (the major component of turpentine), and thujone (a constituent in the liqueur called absinthe) produced an
increase in porphyrin production in primary cultures of chick embryo liver cells. In the presence of desferrioxamine (an iron chelator
which inhibits heme synthesis and thereby mimics the effect of the block associated with acute porphyria), the terpenes enhanced
porphyrin accumulation 5- to 20-fold. They also induced synthesis of the rate-controlling enzyme for the pathway, 5-aminolevulinic acid
synthase, which was monitored both spectrophotometrically and immunochemically. These effects are shared by well-known
porphyrogenic chemicals such as phenobarbital and glutethimide. Camphor and glutethimide alone led to the accumulation of mostly
uro- and heptacarboxylporphyrins, whereas alpha-pinene and thujone resulted in lesser accumulations of porphyrins which were
predominantly copro- and protoporphyrins. In the presence of desferrioxamine, plus any of the three terpenes, the major product that
accumulated was protoporphyrin. The present results indicate that the terpenes tested are porphyrogenic and hazardous to patients
with underlying defects in hepatic heme synthesis. There are also implications for the illness of Vincent van Gogh and the once popular,
but now banned liqueur, called absinthe.
increase in porphyrin production in primary cultures of chick embryo liver cells. In the presence of desferrioxamine (an iron chelator
which inhibits heme synthesis and thereby mimics the effect of the block associated with acute porphyria), the terpenes enhanced
porphyrin accumulation 5- to 20-fold. They also induced synthesis of the rate-controlling enzyme for the pathway, 5-aminolevulinic acid
synthase, which was monitored both spectrophotometrically and immunochemically. These effects are shared by well-known
porphyrogenic chemicals such as phenobarbital and glutethimide. Camphor and glutethimide alone led to the accumulation of mostly
uro- and heptacarboxylporphyrins, whereas alpha-pinene and thujone resulted in lesser accumulations of porphyrins which were
predominantly copro- and protoporphyrins. In the presence of desferrioxamine, plus any of the three terpenes, the major product that
accumulated was protoporphyrin. The present results indicate that the terpenes tested are porphyrogenic and hazardous to patients
with underlying defects in hepatic heme synthesis. There are also implications for the illness of Vincent van Gogh and the once popular,
but now banned liqueur, called absinthe.
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| Update 1st March 2008: Our new facsimile of the Duplais distillation guide, the "Bible" of absinthe distillation, is now available. |
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