The hallucinogenic herb Salvia divinorum and its active ingredient salvinorin A reduce inflammation-induced hypermotility in mice.
Raffaele Capasso, Francesca Borrelli, Jordan K Zjawiony, Lukasz Kutrzeba, Gabriella Aviello, G Sarnelli, F Capasso, Angelo A Izzo
Neurogastroenterology & Motility February 1, 2008 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2982.2007.00994.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Mice |
| Interventions | salvinorin A U-50488 naloxone nor-binaltorphimine |
| Dose | SDE 1-100 mg kg(-1); salvinorin A 0.01-10 mg kg(-1); U-50488 not specified; naloxone and nor-binaltorphimine not specified |
| Topics | Salvia divinorum |
| Keywords | Gut health Inflammation Gut motility |
| Citations | 39 |
| Key findings | Salvinorin A inhibits gut motility in inflamed mice via KOR activation, but in healthy mice it does so only at high doses through a non-KOR mechanism. |
Abstract
The hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum has been used for medical treatments of gastrointestinal disorders. Here, we evaluated the effect of a standardized extract from the leaves of Salvia divinorum (SDE) and of its active ingredient salvinorin A on motility in vivo, both in physiological states and during croton oil-induced intestinal inflammation. SDE (1-100 mg kg(-1)) significantly inhibited motility only in inflamed, but not in control, mice. In control mice, salvinorin A (0.01-10 mg kg(-1)) significantly inhibited motility only at the highest doses tested (3 and 10 mg kg(-1)) and this effect was not counteracted by naloxone or by the kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) antagonist nor-binaltorphimine. Inflammation significantly increased the potency of salvinorin A (but not of the KOR agonist U-50488) in reducing motility. The inhibitory effects of both salvinorin A and U-50488 in inflamed mice were counteracted by naloxone or by nor-binaltorphimine. We conclude that salvinorin A may reduce motility through activation of different targets. In physiological states, salvinorin A, at high doses, inhibited motility through a non-KOR mediated mechanism. Gut inflammation increased the potency of salvinorin A; this effect was mediated by KOR, but it was not shared by U-50488, thus suggesting that salvinorin A may have target(s) other than KOR in the inflamed gut.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on salvia divinorum, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effects of the plant-derived hallucinogen salvinorin A on basal dopamine levels in the caudate putamen and in a conditioned place aversion assay in mice: agonist actions at kappa opioid receptors. Mice | 2005 | Experimental study | |
| Potential anxiolytic‐ and antidepressant‐like effects of salvinorin A, the main active ingredient of Salvia divinorum, in rodents Male Sprague-Dawley rats and male Albino Swiss mice | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Involvement of kappa-opioid and endocannabinoid system on Salvinorin A-induced reward. Wistar rats | 2008 | Experimental study | |
| Role of kappa-opioid receptors in the effects of salvinorin A and ketamine on attention in rats. Rats | 2010 | Experimental study | |
| The plant-derived hallucinogen, salvinorin A, produces kappa-opioid agonist-like discriminative effects in rhesus monkeys. Rhesus monkeys | 2004 | Experimental study | n = 3 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 16
- Inhibitory effect of salvinorin A, from Salvia divinorum, on ileitis-induced hypermotility: cross-talk between kappa-opioid and cannabinoid CB(1) receptors. British Journal of Pharmacology November 1, 2008
- Ultrapotent effects of salvinorin A, a hallucinogenic compound from Salvia divinorum, on LPS-stimulated murine macrophages and its anti-inflammatory action in vivo. Journal of Molecular Medicine September 1, 2011
- From local to global-fifty years of research on Salvia divinorum. Journal of Ethnopharmacology February 3, 2014
- Legally high? Legal considerations of Salvia divinorum. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs June 1, 2008
- A unique natural selective kappa-opioid receptor agonist, salvinorin A, and its roles in human therapeutics. Phytochemistry May 1, 2017
and 11 more in the library
Cites 10
- Salvinorin A: a potent naturally occurring nonnitrogenous kappa opioid selective agonist. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences September 3, 2002
- Salvinorin A, an active component of the hallucinogenic sage salvia divinorum is a highly efficacious kappa-opioid receptor agonist: structural and functional considerations. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics March 1, 2004
- Ethnopharmacology of ska María Pastora (Salvia divinorum, Epling and Játiva-M.). Journal of Ethnopharmacology May 1, 1983
- Salvinorin A: the "magic mint" hallucinogen finds a molecular target in the kappa opioid receptor. TIPS - Trends in Pharmacological Sciences March 1, 2003
- Salvinorin A: from natural product to human therapeutics. Molecular interventions October 1, 2006
and 5 more in the library