Occurrence of tertiary branched tetraamines in two aquatic plants

Four aquatic plants were tested for the occurrence of unusual polyamines by high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography. The whole plants ubiquitously contained norspermidine, homospermidine, norspermine, and thermospermine in addition to usual polyamines such as diaminopropane, putrescine, spermidine, and spermine. Pistia stratiotes L. and Potamogeton distinctus A. Bennett contained aminopropylhomospermidine. Caldopentamine was detected in the former plant. Homospermine was found in Ranuculus aquatilis L. Two tertiary branched tetraamines, N4-aminopropylnorspermidine and N4-aminopropylspermidine, were detected in Potamogeton distinctus and Sagittaria trifolia L.Key words: aquatic plant, polyamine, tertiary branched tetraamine.