Methanolic extract of the common reed sprouts (Phragmites communis Trin.), unincubated or incubated at 27℃ in the dark, was subjected to thin layer chromatography for the indole compounds.
Serotonin, tryptophan and tryptamine were the major indoles in the unincubated sprouts. At early stage of incubation of sprouts, however, serotonin and tryptamine decreased while other indoleamines increased. Tryptophan remained constant throughout the incubation periods. From the observation in the present study, it was speculated that serotonin be synthesized from tryptophan via tryptamine and in turn metabolized to bufotenine.
|