Frontiers in Pharmacology
April 18, 2023
María Salud García-Gutiérrez, Daniela Navarro, Amaya Austrich-Olivares et al.
Introduction: This study aims to further characterize cannabidiol’s pharmacological and molecular profile as an antidepressant.Methods: Effects of cannabidiol (CBD), alone or combined with sertraline (STR), were evaluated in male CD1 mice (n = 48) exposed to an unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) procedure. Once the model was established (4 weeks), mice received CBD (20 mg·kg-1, i.p.), STR...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
March 16, 2023
Leandro Val Sayson, Darlene Mae Ortiz, Hyun Jun Lee et al.
4 citations
Synthetic cannabinoids have exhibited unpredictable abuse liabilities, especially self-administration (SA) responses in normal rodent models, despite seemingly inducing addiction-like effects in humans. Thus, an efficient pre-clinical model must be developed to determine cannabinoid abuse potential in animals and describe the mechanism that may mediate cannabinoid sensitivity. The Cryab...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
February 17, 2023
Lourdes Poyatos, Clara Pérez‐mañá, Olga Hladun et al.
26 citations
Methylone is one of the most common synthetic cathinones popularized as a substitute for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, midomafetamine) owing to its similar effects among users. Both psychostimulants exhibit similar chemistry (i.e., methylone is a β-keto analog of MDMA) and mechanisms of action. Currently, the pharmacology of methylone remains scarcely explored in humans. Herein, we...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
February 16, 2023
Yahong Chen, Junhong Liu, Yishan Yao et al.
19 citations
Psychedelics alter consciousness and may have potential for drug development. As psychedelics are likely therapeutically active, it is important to study their effects and mechanisms using preclinical models. Here, we examined the effects of phenylalkylamine and indoleamine psychedelics on locomotor activity and exploratory behaviour using the mouse Behavioural Pattern Monitor (BPM). DOM,...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
January 4, 2023
Kenneth Alper, Janelle Cange, Ria Sah et al.
39 citations
The classical psychedelic psilocybin is of interest as a treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD). This study investigated the effects of psilocybin on voluntary ethanol consumption in adult male and female C57BL/6J mice administered saline or psilocybin intraperitoneally as a single dose of 0.1, 0.5, 1.0 or 2.0 mg/kg and provided 20% ethanol utilizing a two-bottle choice alcohol drinking...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
2023
Dario Dornbierer, Laurenz Marten, Jovin Mueller et al.
32 citations
Recently, the Amazonian plant medicine "ayahuasca"-containing the psychedelic compound N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and numerous β-carboline alkaloids, such as harmine-has been suggested to exhibit beneficial effects in patients with affective and other mental health disorders. Although ayahuasca ingestion is considered safe, its pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics and tolerability profile pose...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
2023
Klemens Egger, Frederik Gudmundsen, Naja Støckel Jessen et al.
17 citations
Rationale: The psychedelic effects of the traditional Amazonian botanical decoction known as ayahuasca are often attributed to agonism at brain serotonin 5-HT2A receptors by N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). To reduce first pass metabolism of oral DMT, ayahuasca preparations additionally contain reversible monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) inhibitors, namely β-carboline alkaloids such as harmine....
Frontiers in Pharmacology
2023
Leah M Salinsky, Christina R Merritt, Joshua C Zamora et al.
14 citations
Opioid misuse and opioid-involved overdose deaths are a massive public health problem involving the intertwined misuse of prescription opioids for pain management with the emergence of extremely potent fentanyl derivatives, sold as standalone products or adulterants in counterfeit prescription opioids or heroin. The incidence of repeated opioid overdose events indicates a problematic use...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
2023
Prithvi Hemanth, Pallavi Nistala, Vy T Nguyen et al.
4 citations
Certain 4-substituted analogs of 1-(2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)isopropylamine (2,5-DMA) are psychoactive classical hallucinogens or serotonergic psychedelic agents that function as human 5-HT2A (h5-HT2A) serotonin receptor agonists. Activation of a related receptor population, h5-HT2B receptors, has been demonstrated to result in adverse effects including cardiac valvulopathy. We previously published...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
2023
Kateřina Syrová, Klára Šíchová, Hynek Danda et al.
4 citations
Introduction: N-2-methoxy-benzylated ("NBOMe") analogues of phenethylamine are a group of new psychoactive substances (NPS) with reported strong psychedelic effects in sub-milligram doses linked to a number of severe intoxications, including fatal ones. In our present work, we provide a detailed investigation of pharmacokinetics and acute behavioural effects of 2C-B-Fly-NBOMe...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
2023
Nataliya S. Vorobyeva, Alena A. Kozlova
1 citation
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Frontiers in Pharmacology
October 7, 2022
Katarzyna Stachowicz, Magdalena Sowa-Kućma
48 citations
Depression is a severe mental health problem that affects people regardless of social status or education, is associated with changes in mood and behavior, and can result in a suicide attempt. Therapy of depressive disorders is based mainly on drugs discovered in the 1960s and early 1970s. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
July 22, 2022
Leor Roseman, Katrin H. Preller, Evgenia Fotiou et al.
15 citations
The heralded psychedelic renaissance is currently at a new level where psychedelics are being accepted by the scientific community and the public. Medicalization and the ongoing introduction of market forces are imposing a trend in which psychedelic treatments are reduced to focus into strictly pharmacological and psychological effects on the self, rather than interactions with broader social...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
July 13, 2022
Patrick Vizeli, Isabelle Straumann, Urs Duthaler et al.
43 citations
Background: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has shown initial promise as an adjunct in psychotherapy to treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Its efficacy and safety have been demonstrated across phase I–III studies. However, the mechanism underlying the potential utility of MDMA to treat PTSD in humans has not yet been thoroughly investigated. Preliminary evidence suggests that...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
July 7, 2022
Songbai Xu, Xiaoxiao Yao, Bingjin Li et al.
50 citations
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a devastating psychiatric disorder which exacts enormous personal and social-economic burdens. Ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, has been discovered to exert rapid and sustained antidepressant-like actions on MDD patients and animal models. However, the dissociation and psychotomimetic propensities of ketamine have limited its use...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
June 28, 2022
Nataliya S. Vorobyeva, Alena A. Kozlova
16 citations
Classical psychedelics represent a family of psychoactive substances with structural similarities to serotonin and affinity for serotonin receptors. A growing number of studies have found that psychedelics can be effective in treating various psychiatric conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Mental health disorders...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
June 27, 2022
Snehal Bhatt, Maya Armstrong, Tassy Parker et al.
4 citations
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a common condition with potentially devastating individual, family, and societal consequences, is highly associated with substance use disorders (SUDs). The association between PTSD and SUD is complex and may involve adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), historical and multi-generational traumas, and social determinants of health as well as cultural and...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
May 2, 2022
Ilana Berlowitz, Klemens Egger, Paul Cumming
32 citations
The monoamine oxidases (MAOs) are flavin-containing amine oxidoreductases responsible for metabolism of many biogenic amine molecules in the brain and peripheral tissues. Whereas serotonin is the preferred substrate of MAO-A, phenylethylamine is metabolized by MAO-B, and dopamine and tyramine are nearly ambivalent with respect to the two isozymes. β-Carboline alkaloids such as harmine,...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
March 31, 2022
Roberta Murphy, Roberta Murphy, Hannes Kettner et al.
229 citations
Background: Across psychotherapeutic frameworks, the strength of the therapeutic alliance has been found to correlate with treatment outcomes; however, its role has never been formally assessed in a trial of psychedelic-assisted therapy. We aimed to investigate the relationships between therapeutic alliance and rapport, the quality of the acute psychedelic experience and treatment outcomes....
Frontiers in Pharmacology
March 22, 2022
Enzo Tagliazucchi
20 citations
Psychedelics are drugs capable of eliciting profound alterations in the subjective experience of the users, sometimes with long-lasting consequences. Because of this, psychedelic research tends to focus on human subjects, given their capacity to construct detailed narratives about the contents of their consciousness experiences. In spite of its relevance, the interaction between serotonergic...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
March 9, 2022
Drummond E-Wen Mcculloch, Maria Zofia Grzywacz, Martin Bruun Madsen et al.
91 citations
Psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin have shown substantial promise for the treatment of several psychiatric conditions including mood and addictive disorders. They also have the remarkable property of producing persisting positive psychological changes in healthy volunteers for at least several months. In this study (NCT03289949), 35 medium-high doses of psilocybin were administered to 28...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
February 9, 2022
Karolina E. Kolaczynska, Dino Luethi, Dino Luethi et al.
16 citations
3,4,5-Trimethoxyphenethylamine (mescaline) is a psychedelic alkaloid found in peyote cactus. Related 4-alkoxy-3,5-dimethoxy-substituted phenethylamines (scalines) and amphetamines (3C-scalines) are reported to induce similarly potent psychedelic effects and are therefore potential novel therapeutics for psychedelic-assisted therapy. Herein, several pharmacologically uninvestigated scalines and...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
January 27, 2022
Athanasios Markopoulos, Antonio Inserra, Danilo de Gregorio et al.
44 citations
Recent clinical and preclinical evidence points towards empathogenic and prosocial effects elicited by psychedelic compounds, notably the serotonin 5-HT 2A agonists lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and their derivatives. These findings suggest a therapeutic potential of psychedelic compounds for some of the behavioural traits associated with autism...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
2022
Daniel Perkins, Broc A. Pagni, Jerome Sarris et al.
53 citations
Background: Naturalistic and placebo-controlled studies suggest ayahuasca, a potent psychedelic beverage originating from Indigenous Amazonian tradition, may improve mental health, alter personality structure, and reduce alcohol and drug intake. To better understand ayahuasca's therapeutic potential and to identify factors that influence therapeutic efficacy, we conducted a naturalistic,...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
2022
Margarida L F Martins, Paniz Heydari, Wenlong Li et al.
9 citations
The psychedelic alkaloid ibogaine is increasingly used as an oral treatment for substance use disorders, despite being unlicensed in most countries and having reported adverse events. Using wild-type and genetically modified mice, we investigated the impact of mouse (m)Abcb1a/1b and Abcg2 drug efflux transporters, human and mouse OATP drug uptake transporters, and the CYP3A drug-metabolizing...