Potential for identifying plant-based toxins on San hunter-gatherer arrowheads

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dc.citation.doi10.17159/sajs.2017/20160210en_ZA
dc.citation.issue3-4en_ZA
dc.contributor.authorWooding, M.
dc.contributor.authorBradfield, J.
dc.contributor.authorMaharaj, V.
dc.contributor.authorKoot, D.
dc.contributor.authorWadley, L.
dc.contributor.authorPrinsloo, L.
dc.contributor.authorLombard, M.
dc.date.accessioned2017-10-26T14:26:44Z
dc.date.available2017-10-26T14:26:44Z
dc.date.issued2017-03
dc.description.abstractThe antiquity of the use of hunting poisons has received much attention in recent years. In this paper we present the results of a pilot study designed to detect the presence of organic compounds, typically of less than 1200 Da, from poisonous plants that may have been used as hunting poisons in the past. We used ultra-performance liquid chromatography connected to a Synapt G2 high-resolution MS-QTOF mass spectrometer (UPLC-QTOF-MS) to provisionally identify plant-based toxins present in (1) extracts of fresh plant material, (2) a blind control recipe consisting of three plant ingredients and (3) a Hei||om arrow poison of unknown ingredients. Although not all expected toxic compounds were identified, those that were identified compared favourably with those reported in the literature and confirmed through databases, specifically the Dictionary of Natural Products and ChemSpider. MS/MS fragmentation patterns and accurate mass were used for tentative identification of compounds because archaeological residues usually contain insufficient material for unambiguous identification using nuclear magnetic resonance. We highlight the potential of this method for accurately identifying plant-based toxins present on archaeological artefacts and unique (albeit non-toxic) chemical markers that may allow one to infer the presence of toxic plant ingredients in arrow poisons. Any chemical study of archaeological material should consider the unique environmental degradative factors and be sensitive to the oxidative by-products of toxic compounds.en_ZA
dc.description.librarianEM2017en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationWooding, M. et al. 2017. Potential for identifying plant-based toxins on San hunter-gatherer arrowheads. SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE 113(3-4), Article number 20160210.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn0038-2353 (Print)
dc.identifier.issn1996-7489 (Online)
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10539/23334
dc.journal.titleSouth African Journal of Scienceen_ZA
dc.journal.volume113en_ZA
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherAcademy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)en_ZA
dc.rights© 2017. The Author(s). Published under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence.en_ZA
dc.subjectAccuracy assessmenten_ZA
dc.subjectAchaeological evidenceen_ZA
dc.subjectHunter-gathereren_ZA
dc.subjectAccurate mass-mass spectrometryen_ZA
dc.subjectLiquid chromatographyen_ZA
dc.subjectSan hunting poisonsen_ZA
dc.subjectSouthern Africaen_ZA
dc.subjectMass spectrometryen_ZA
dc.subjectPhytochemistryen_ZA
dc.subjectPlant extracten_ZA
dc.subjectToxinen_ZA
dc.subjectArchaeological analysisen_ZA
dc.titlePotential for identifying plant-based toxins on San hunter-gatherer arrowheadsen_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA
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