Antinociceptive and hypothermic effects of Salvinorin A are abolished in a novel strain of kappa-opioid receptor-1 knockout mice.
The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics August 1, 2006 Michael Ansonoff, Jiwen Zhang, Traci Czyzyk et al. 101 citations
Salvinorin A, the active component of the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum, produces pain relief (antinociception) and lowers body temperature in mice by activating the kappa-opioid receptor. These effects were observed after injection of salvinorin A or a similar compound, salvinorinyl-2-propionate, into the brain of normal mice, but not in mice genetically lacking the kappa-opioid receptor. Salvinorin A showed high affinity specifically for the kappa-1 subclass of opioid receptors. In contrast, salvinorin B, an inactive derivative, had no effect on pain or body temperature. The findings confirm that salvinorin A acts through the kappa-opioid receptor to produce its behavioral effects.