Salvinorin A fails to substitute for the discriminative stimulus effects of LSD or ketamine in Sprague-Dawley rats.
Bryan A Killinger, Mary M Peet, Lisa E Baker
Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior September 1, 2010 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2010.05.014 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Drug discrimination study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 16 |
| Population | Male Sprague-Dawley rats |
| Interventions | Salvinorin A LSD ketamine |
| Topics | Ketamine LSD Salvia divinorum Esketamine |
| Keywords | Atypical hallucinogen Distinct hallucinogen Drug discrimination Behavioral pharmacology Animal models Psychopharmacology Drug differentiation Psychedelics Psychotomimetics Entheogens Dissociatives Traditional hallucinogens Neuropharmacology Drug action Drug profile Mechanisms of action |
| Citations | 41 |
| Key points | Neither LSD nor ketamine discrimination generalized to salvinorin A, indicating it is pharmacologically distinct from these traditional hallucinogens. |
Abstract
Salvia divinorum is a small perennial shrub that has gained recent popularity among the drug-using subculture as a legal alternative to hallucinogens. Salvinorin A, the main active compound found in the S.divinorum plant, is an atypical hallucinogen with pharmacological selectivity at kappa opioid (KOP) receptor sites and is a unique non-nitrogenous neoclerodane diterpene which is structurally distinct from other opioid compounds. The novel structure of salvinorin A and its specific binding affinity to KOP receptors provide a unique opportunity to investigate neurochemical mechanisms of hallucination and hallucinogenic compounds. The current investigation assessed the substitution of salvinorin A in 16 male Sprague-Dawley rats trained to discriminate either the prototypical serotonergic hallucinogen, LSD (0.08mg/kg, S.C., n=8) or the dissociative anesthetic and glutamatergic hallucinogen, ketamine (8.0mg/kg, I.P., n=8) from vehicle under a FR 20 schedule of food-reinforced responding. Results indicated that neither LSD nor ketamine discrimination generalized to salvinorin A. These findings are consistent with the growing body of evidence that salvinorin A is pharmacologically distinct from other traditional hallucinogenic compounds.