Potential Serotonin 5-HT2A Receptor Agonist of Psychoactive Components of Silene undulata Aiton: LC-MS/MS, ADMET, and Molecular Docking Studies.
Maram B Alhawarri, Suleiman Olimat
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology 2025 DOI: 10.2174/0113892010299804240324140017 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study with computational analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Serotonin |
| Keywords | Admet. Lc-ms/ms Silene undulata Chemical profiling Molecular docking Β-carboline Psychoactive plants Ethnopharmacology Neuropharmacology Phytochemistry |
| Citations | 10 |
| Key findings | The β-carboline alkaloids harmaline, harmalol, and ibogaine from Silene undulata show predicted binding affinities to the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor comparable to LSD, supporting the plant's traditional use as a dream-inducing psychoactive agent. |
Abstract
Silene undulata is historically used for inducing vivid and prophetic lucid dreams, but limited information exists on its phytochemical composition and potential pharmacological properties. This study aimed to investigate the phytochemical composition of S. undulata through LC-MS/MS analysis and explore its potential serotonergic activity, which could support and confirm the traditional use of S. undulata as a dream-inducing plant. LC-MS/MS analysis was conducted on S. undulata extract, identifying 51 phytochemicals, including norharman, harmalol, harmaline, harmine, and ibogaine alkaloids. ADMET and Molecular docking investigations were employed to assess the serotonergic potential of these compounds. The analysis revealed the presence of β-carboline alkaloids, such as norharman, harmalol, harmaline, harmine, and ibogaine, within S. undulata extract. ADMET analysis showed that these compounds have a favourable pharmacokinetic properties. In addition, molecular docking investigations showed that harmaline (-8.90 Kcal/mol), harmalol (-8.56 Kcal/mol), and ibogaine (-8.75 Kcal/mol) exhibited binding affinities comparable to the control molecule, LSD (-9.14 Kcal/mol), indicating potential agonistic activity at serotonin 5-HT2A receptor. These findings provide insights into the potential therapeutic benefits of S. undulata, supporting its traditional use as a psychoactive plant. This study investigated the chemical constituents and potential serotonergic agonist activity of S. undulata for the first time. While promising, further research is necessary to uncover additional medicinal properties associated with the identified phytochemical components.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on serotonin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psilocybin induces schizophrenia-like psychosis in humans via a serotonin-2 agonist action Healthy human volunteers | 1998 | Experimental study | |
| Amphetamine-type central nervous system stimulants release norepinephrine more potently than they release dopamine and serotonin | 2000 | Experimental study | |
| Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) cause selective ablation of serotonergic axon terminals in forebrain: immunocytochemical evidence for neurotoxicity Rat brain | 1988 | Experimental study | |
| The molecular mechanism of "ecstasy" [3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA)]: serotonin transporters are targets for MDMA-induced serotonin release. Human platelet plasma membrane vesicles and bovine adrenal chromaffin granule membrane... | 1992 | Laboratory study | |
| 5-HT2AReceptor-Mediated Regulation of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor mRNA in the Hippocampus and the Neocortex Rat brain | 1997 | Experimental study |
Citations in the library
Cites 14
- Serotonergic hallucinogens in the treatment of anxiety and depression in patients suffering from a life-threatening disease: A systematic review. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry February 2, 2018
- How toxic is ibogaine? Clinical Toxicology 2016
- Distribution of ibogaine and noribogaine in a man following a poisoning involving root bark of the Tabernanthe iboga shrub. Journal of Analytical Toxicology September 1, 2006
- Behavioral and biochemical evidence for a nonessential 5-HT2A component of the ibogaine-induced discriminative stimulus. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior February 1, 1998
- Evaluating the toxicity and therapeutic potential of ibogaine in the treatment of chronic opioid abuse Expert Opinion on Drug Metabolism & Toxicology June 18, 2021
and 9 more in the library