Kappa-opioid receptor-mediated effects of the plant-derived hallucinogen, salvinorin A, on inverted screen performance in the mouse.
William E Fantegrossi, Kelly M Kugle, Leander J. Valdés, Masato Koreeda, James H Woods
Behavioural Pharmacology December 1, 2005 DOI: 10.1097/00008877-200512000-00005 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Preclinical experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Mice |
| Interventions | Salvinorin A remifentanil U69 593 nor-binaltorphamine |
| Topics | Salvia divinorum |
| Keywords | Natural compound Mexican mint extract Mint compound Kappa-opioid receptors Kappa receptors Receptor activation Pharmacology Mechanism of action Drug action Receptor interaction Pharmacodynamics Drug discovery Therapeutic potential New therapeutics Compound development Drug development |
| Citations | 80 |
| Key findings | Salvinorin A disrupts motor coordination in mice via kappa-opioid receptor activation, but its binding may differ from that of traditional kappa-agonists like U69,593. |
Abstract
Salvinorin A is a pharmacologically active diterpene that occurs naturally in the Mexican mint Ska Maria Pastora (Salvia divinorum) and represents the first naturally occurring kappa-opioid receptor agonist. The chemical structure of salvinorin A is novel among the opioids, and thus defines a new structural class of kappa-opioid-receptor selective drugs. Few studies have examined the effects of salvinorin A in vivo, and fewer still have attempted to assess the agonist actions of this compound at mu-opioid, delta-opioid, and kappa-opioid receptors using selective antagonists. In the mouse, salvinorin A disrupted climbing behavior on an inverted screen task, indicating a rapid, but short-lived induction of sedation/motor incoordination. Similar effects were observed with the mu-agonist remifentanil and the synthetic kappa-agonist U69,593. When behaviorally equivalent doses of all three opioids were challenged with antagonists at doses selective for mu-opioid, delta-opioid, or kappa-opioid receptors, results suggested that the motoric effects of remifentanil were mediated by mu-receptors, whereas those of salvinorin A and U69,593 were mediated via kappa-receptors. Despite similar potencies and degrees of effectiveness, salvinorin A and U69,593 differed with regard to their susceptibility to antagonism by the kappa-antagonist nor-binaltorphamine. This later finding, coupled with the novel chemical structure of the compound, is consistent with recent findings that the diterpene salvinorin A may bind to the kappa-receptor in a manner that is qualitatively different from that of more traditional kappa-agonists such as the benzeneacetamide U69,593. Such pharmacological differences among these kappa-opioids raise the possibility that the development of other diterpene-based opioids may yield important therapeutic compounds.
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 42
- Here today, gone tomorrow…and back again? A review of herbal marijuana alternatives (K2, Spice), synthetic cathinones (bath salts), kratom, Salvia divinorum, methoxetamine, and piperazines. Journal of Medical Toxicology March 1, 2012
- Opioid receptors and legal highs:Salvia divinorumand Kratom Clinical Toxicology 2008
- Human psychopharmacology and dose-effects of salvinorin A, a kappa opioid agonist hallucinogen present in the plant Salvia divinorum. Drug and Alcohol Dependence May 1, 2011
- Synthesis and κ-opioid receptor activity of furan-substituted salvinorin A analogues. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry December 26, 2014
- Involvement of kappa-opioid and endocannabinoid system on Salvinorin A-induced reward. Biological Psychiatry February 1, 2008
and 37 more in the library
Cites 13
- 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
- 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. Psychopharmacology May 1, 2005
- Divinorin A, a psychotropic terpenoid, and divinorin B from the hallucinogenic Mexican mint, Salvia divinorum The Journal of Organic Chemistry November 1, 1984
- Ethnopharmacology of ska María Pastora (Salvia divinorum, Epling and Játiva-M.). Journal of Ethnopharmacology May 1, 1983
and 8 more in the library