Tramadol in plants and environment of Cameroon is anthropogenic
Friday, October 30, 2015 - 06:20
in Biology & Nature
Tramadol, a synthetic opioid component of the painkiller tramal, was surprisingly identified in 2013 as a natural product of Sarcocephalus latifolia, a tree found in Cameroon. Scientists from Germany and Cameroon now refute this finding in the journal Angewandte Chemie. By determination of the 14C content, for example, they established that the tramadol found in plants is in fact anthropogenic and introduced by off-label use of the drug. Serious health and environmental problems may occur as a consequence.