Ayahuasca and Its DMT- and β-carbolines – Containing Ingredients Block the Expression of Ethanol-Induced Conditioned Place Preference in Mice: Role of the Treatment Environment
Elisangela Gouveia Cata-Preta, Yasmim A. Serra, Eliseu Da Cruz Moreira-Junior, Henrique Sousa Reis, Natali D. Kisaki, Matheus Libarino-Santos, Raiany R. R. Silva, Thaísa Barros-Santos, Lucas C. Santos, Paulo César Ribeiro Barbosa, José Luiz Costa, Alexandre J. Oliveira-Lima, Laís F. Berro, Eduardo A V Marinho
Frontiers in Pharmacology May 29, 2018 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00561 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Controlled experiment Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Male mice |
| Interventions | Ayahuasca ethanol |
| Dose | 30, 100, and 300 mg/kg (ayahuasca, orally); 132, 440, and 1320 mg/kg (Bc, orally); 3.75, 12.5 and 37.5 mg/kg (Pv, i.p.); 1.8 g/kg (ethanol, i.p.) |
| Duration | 8 conditioning sessions for CPP induction; 6 days post-conditioning treatment; CPP tested on following day |
| Topics | Ayahuasca DMT |
| Keywords | Conditioned place preference Ethanol Pharmacology Hallucinogen Decoction Conditioning Saline |
| Citations | 50 |
| Key findings | Ayahuasca and its plant components can decrease ethanol reward at doses that do not themselves produce conditioned place preference, with the treatment environment influencing the effect. |
Abstract
Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic beverage produced from the decoction of Banisteriopsis caapi (Bc) and Psychotria viridis (Pv), β-carboline- and N,N-dimethyltryptamine(DMT)-containing plants, respectively. Accumulating evidence suggests that ayahuasca may have therapeutic effects on ethanol abuse. It is not known, however, whether its effects are dependent on the presence of DMT or if non-DMT-containing components would have therapeutic effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the rewarding properties of ayahuasca (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg, orally), Bc (132, 440, and 1320 mg/kg, orally) and Pv (3.75, 12.5 and 37.5 mg/kg, i.p.) extracts and their effects on ethanol (1.8 g/kg, i.p.) reward using the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm in male mice. Animals were conditioned with ayahuasca, Bc or Pv extracts during 8 sessions. An intermediate, but not a high, dose of ayahuasca induced CPP in mice. Bc and Pv did not induce CPP. Subsequently, the effects of those extracts were tested on the development of ethanol-induced CPP. Ayahuasca, Bc or Pv were administered before ethanol injections during conditioning sessions. While Bc and Pv exerted no effects on ethanol-induced CPP, pretreatment with ayahuasca blocked the development of CPP to ethanol. Finally, the effects of a post-ethanol-conditioning treatment with ayahuasca, Bc or Pv on the expression of ethanol-induced CPP were tested. Animals were conditioned with ethanol, and subsequently treated with either ayahuasca, Bc or Pv in the CPP environment previously associated with saline or ethanol for 6 days. Animals were then reexposed to ethanol and ethanol-induced CPP was quantified on the following day. Treatment with all compounds in the ethanol-paired environment blocked the expression of ethanol-induced CPP. Administration of an intermediate, but not a high, dose of ayahuasca and Bc, as well as Pv administration, in the saline-paired compartment blocked the expression of ethanol-induced CPP. The present study sheds light into the components underlying the therapeutic effects of ayahuasca on ethanol abuse, indicating that ayahuasca and its plant components can decrease ethanol reward at doses that do not exert abuse liability. Importantly, the treatment environment seems to influence the therapeutic effects of ayahuasca and Bc, providing important insights into clinical practice.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on DMT, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Hallucinogen N,N -Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) Is an Endogenous Sigma-1 Receptor Regulator Mice and cell lines | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Correlation between the potency of hallucinogens in the mouse head-twitch response assay and their behavioral and subjective effects in other species. C57BL/6J mice | 2020 | Experimental study with dose-response experiments | |
| Psychedelic N,N-dimethyltryptamine and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine modulate innate and adaptive inflammatory responses through the sigma-1 receptor of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells. Human primary monocyte-derived dendritic cells | 2014 | In vitro study | |
| Inhibitory effect of chlorpromazine on the syndrome of hyperactivity produced by l‐tryptophan or 5‐methoxy‐N,N‐dimethyltryptamine in rats treated with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor Rats | 1971 | Experimental study | |
| Effects of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine on Rat Behaviors Relevant to Anxiety and Depression Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats | 2018 | Experimental study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 40
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- Persisting Reductions in Cannabis, Opioid, and Stimulant Misuse After Naturalistic Psychedelic Use: An Online Survey Frontiers in Psychiatry January 22, 2020
- Classic and non‐classic psychedelics for substance use disorder: A review of their historic, past and current research Addiction Neuroscience June 22, 2022
- Classic psychedelics and alcohol use disorders: A systematic review of human and animal studies Addiction Biology August 31, 2022
- Effects of ayahuasca and its alkaloids on substance use disorders: an updated (2016-2020) systematic review of preclinical and human studies. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience June 1, 2022
and 35 more in the library
Cites 18
- Human Psychopharmacology of Hoasca, A Plant Hallucinogen Used in Ritual Context in Brazil The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease February 1, 1996
- Ayahuasca-Assisted Therapy for Addiction: Results from a Preliminary Observational Study in Canada Current Drug Abuse Reviews June 1, 2013
- Clinical investigations of the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca: rationale and regulatory challenges. Pharmacology & Therapeutics May 1, 2004
- Assessment of addiction severity among ritual users of ayahuasca Drug and Alcohol Dependence June 17, 2010
- Ayahuasca: Pharmacology, neuroscience and therapeutic potential Brain Research Bulletin March 11, 2016
and 13 more in the library