Salutaridine is an alkaloid that is present in the morphinian alkaloid pathway of opium poppy. Its precursor is the alkaloid (R)-reticuline. (R)-reticuline is converted to salutaridine by the enzyme salutaridine synthase

Salutaridine synthase

In enzymology, a salutaridine synthase is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction-reticuline + NADPH + H+ + O2 \rightleftharpoons salutaridine + NADP+ + 2 H2O...

. Salutaridine is converted to salutaridinol by the enzyme salutaridine reductase (SalR), with the reduction of NADPH to NADP⁺.