BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Drugs targeting brain kappa-opioid receptors produce profound alterations in mood. In the present study we investigated the possible anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects of the kappa-opioid receptor agonist salvinorin A, the main active ingredient of Salvia divinorum, in rats and mice. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Experiments were performed on male Sprague-Dawley rats...
The recreational drug, Salvinorin A, derived from the plant of Salvia divinorum, is a potent and selective kappa-opioid receptor agonist. The abuse of selective k-agonists is a novel phenomenon, the mechanism of which is not fully understood. We investigated salvinorin A given SC on the conditioned place preference (.05-160 microg/kg) and intracerebroventricular (ICV) self-administration (.01-1...
The hallucinatory effect and potential abuse of salvinorin A, the major ingredient of Salvia divinorum, has not been documented in animals. The effects of salvinorin A on the zebrafish (Danio rerio) model, through its swimming behavior and conditioned place preference (CPP) task, was studied. Swimming activity was determined in a squared observational chamber after an i.m. treatment of...