Università degli Studi di Milano, Pharmacological Sciences, Milano, Italy.
J Anal Toxicol. 2011 May;35(4):238-41. doi: 10.1093/anatox/35.4.238.
The yew tree (Taxus baccata) is an evergreen conifer that is widespread over central and southern Europe. The toxic effects of this conifer and its leaves have been known since ancient times. The seeds are generally responsible for accidental intoxications in childhood, whereas the bark and the leaves are mainly used for homicidal or suicidal attempts. We investigated the metabolic pattern of taxines in a healthy 44-year-old male farmer who was admitted to Bergamo Emergency Department after attempting suicide. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to separate and identify taxine metabolites. Data reported in this paper confirmed that the patient attempted suicide by ingesting Taxus baccata leaves, which had been suggested by clinical examination. The most abundant free and conjugated taxine metabolites were characterized. The high concentration of conjugated metabolites found in urine underscores the critical role that conjugation in the liver plays in eliminating taxines and increasing the probability of the patient's survival.
欧洲赤松（Taxus baccata）是一种常绿针叶树，广泛分布于欧洲中部和南部。自古以来，人们就知道这种针叶树及其叶子具有毒性作用。种子通常会导致儿童意外中毒，而树皮和叶子主要用于故意杀人或自杀。我们研究了一位 44 岁健康男性农民的紫杉烷代谢模式，该农民在试图自杀后被送入贝加莫急救中心。高效液相色谱法用于分离和鉴定紫杉烷代谢物。本文报告的数据证实，该患者是通过摄入欧洲赤松树叶自杀的，这一点已通过临床检查得到证实。对最丰富的游离和结合紫杉烷代谢物进行了特征描述。在尿液中发现高浓度的结合代谢物，这突出表明肝脏中的结合在消除紫杉烷和增加患者生存机会方面起着关键作用。
