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Václav Havel

8 papers in the library · 142 citations · publishing 2020-2026

Papers

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Development and validation of a UPLC-MS/MS method for real-time neuropharmacokinetic monitoring of iboga alkaloids in rat brain.

Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis June 24, 2026 Scot Mcintosh, Isabella Maldonado, Nickalus C Smith et al.

Iboga alkaloids, including ibogaine, its primary metabolite noribogaine, and the naturally occurring congener ibogamine, have shown promise for the treatment of substance use and other neuropsychiatric disorders but are limited by cardiotoxic effects. Safer synthetic analogs, such as oxa-noribogaine, are under active development; however, validated analytical methods for quantifying these...

Oxa-noribogaine reduces alcohol drinking through aversion learning and by altering glutamatergic activity in the mPFC

Research Square March 31, 2026 Marcus W. Meinhardt, Ivan Skorodumov, Florian Walter et al.

Abstract Alcohol use disorder is a major global health problem, and current treatments often fail to produce lasting reductions in harmful drinking1,2. Psychedelic-assisted therapies may promote durable behavioural change by enhancing brain plasticity during emotionally meaningful experiences, but progress has been limited by a lack of experimental models that capture these context-dependent...

Deciphering Ibogaine’s Matrix Pharmacology: Multiple Transporter Modulation at Serotonin Synapses

Journal of the American Chemical Society December 26, 2025 Christopher Hwu, Václav Havel, Xavier Westergaard et al. 2 citations

) that has a unique therapeutic potential across multiple indications, including opioid dependence, substance use disorders, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and traumatic brain injury (TBI). We systematically examined the effects of ibogaine, its main metabolite noribogaine, and a series of iboga analogs at monoamine neurotransmitter transporters, some of which have...

Oxa-Iboga alkaloids lack cardiac risk and disrupt opioid use in animal models.

Nature Communications September 20, 2024 Václav Havel, Andrew C Kruegel, Benjamin Bechand et al. 18 citations

Ibogaine and its main metabolite noribogaine provide important molecular prototypes for markedly different treatment of substance use disorders and co-morbid mental health illnesses. However, these compounds present a cardiac safety risk and a highly complex molecular mechanism. We introduce a class of iboga alkaloids - termed oxa-iboga - defined as benzofuran-containing iboga analogs and...

Structural pharmacology and therapeutic potential of 5-methoxytryptamines.

Nature June 1, 2024 Audrey L Warren, David Lankri, Michael J. Cunningham et al. 74 citations

Psychedelic substances such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin show potential for the treatment of various neuropsychiatric disorders1-3. These compounds are thought to mediate their hallucinogenic and therapeutic effects through the serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)) receptor 5-HT2A (ref. 4). However, 5-HT1A also plays a part in the behavioural effects of tryptamine...

Novel Class of Psychedelic Iboga Alkaloids Disrupts Opioid Use

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) July 23, 2021 Václav Havel, Andrew C Kruegel, Benjamin Bechand et al. 3 citations preprint

Abstract Substance use and related mental health epidemics are causing increasing suffering and death in diverse communities. 1,2 Despite extensive efforts focused on developing pharmacotherapies for treating substance use disorders, there is an urgent need for radically different therapeutic approaches. 3,4 Ibogaine provides an important drug prototype in this direction, as a psychoactive...

A Single Administration of the Atypical Psychedelic Ibogaine or Its Metabolite Noribogaine Induces an Antidepressant-Like Effect in Rats.

ACS Chemical Neuroscience June 3, 2020 Paola Rodrı Guez, Jessika Urbanavicius, José Pedro Prieto et al. 44 citations

Anecdotal reports and open-label case studies in humans indicated that the psychedelic alkaloid ibogaine exerts profound antiaddictive effects. Ample preclinical evidence demonstrated the efficacy of ibogaine, and its main metabolite, noribogaine, in substance-use-disorder rodent models. In contrast to addiction research, depression-relevant effects of ibogaine or noribogaine in rodents have...

A Single Administration of the Atypical Psychedelic Ibogaine or its Metabolite Noribogaine Induces an Antidepressant-like Effect in Rats

ChemRxiv March 19, 2020 Paola Rodrı́guez, Jessika Urbanavicius, José Pedro Prieto et al. 1 citation

Anecdotal reports and open label case studies in humans indicated that the psychedelic alkaloid ibogaine exert profound anti-addictive effects. Ample preclinical evidence demonstrated the efficacy of ibogaine, and its main metabolite noribogaine, in substance use disorder rodent models. In contrast to addiction research, depression-relevant effects of ibogaine or noribogaine in rodents have not...