The hallucinogenic Mexican mint Salvia divinorum contains two terpenoid compounds, divinorin A and divinorin B. Divinorin A is a psychotropic terpenoid, while divinorin B is also present. The work describes the isolation and characterization of these compounds from the plant.
Salvinorin A, a natural compound from the Mexican mint Salvia divinorum, is the first known naturally occurring kappa-opioid receptor agonist with a novel chemical structure distinct from other opioids. In mice, salvinorin A caused rapid but short-lived sedation and motor incoordination, similar to the effects of the mu-agonist remifentanil and the synthetic kappa-agonist U69,593. Using selective antagonists, the motor effects of salvinorin A and U69,593 were shown to be mediated by kappa-opioid receptors, while remifentanil's effects involved mu-receptors. Salvinorin A and U69,593 differed in their susceptibility to antagonism by nor-binaltorphamine, suggesting salvinorin A may bind to the kappa-receptor differently than traditional kappa-agonists. This raises the possibility that developing other diterpene-based opioids could yield therapeutic compounds.