Skip to content

Neurobehavioral, reflexological and physical development of Wistar rat offspring exposed to ayahuasca during pregnancy and lactation

Carolina Dizioli Rodrigues de Oliveira, Camila Queiroz Moreira, Helenice de Souza Spinosa, Maurı́cio Yonamine

Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia September 15, 2011 DOI: 10.1590/s0102-695x2011005000170 (opens in new tab)

Relevant Not relevant

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Animal study Peer reviewed
Population Wistar rat offspring
Intervention Ayahuasca
Duration From the 6th day of pregnancy to the 10th day of lactation
Topics Ayahuasca
Keywords Lactation Offspring Pentylenetetrazol Pregnancy Diazepam Oxytocin Physiology
Citations 25
Key points Perinatal ayahuasca exposure in rats reduced anxiety and social motivation and increased seizure sensitivity in adult offspring.

Abstract

Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic beverage prepared by the decoction of plants native to the Amazon Basin region. The beverage has been used throughout the world by members of some syncretic religious movements. Despite the recent legalization of ayahuasca in Brazil for religious purposes, there is little pre-clinical and clinical information attesting to its safety, particularly in relation to the use during pregnancy. The aim of the current work was to determine the effects of perinatal exposure to ayahuasca (from the 6th day of pregnancy to the 10th day of lactation) on physical, reflexology and neurobehavioral parameters of the Wistar rat offspring. The offspring showed no statistically significant changes in the physical and reflexology parameters evaluated. However, in adult rats, perinatally exposed to ayahuasca, an increase in frequency of entries in open arms in elevated plus-maze test, a decrease in total time of interaction in social interaction test, a decrease in time of latency for the animal to start swimming and a decrease of the minimum convulsant dose induced by pentylenetetrazol were observed. In conclusion, our results showed that the use of ayahuasca by mothers during pregnancy and lactation reduced the general anxiety and social motivation of the rat offspring. Besides, it promoted a higher sensitivity for initiation and spread of seizure activity.

Comparable studies

Other preclinical and animal studies on ayahuasca, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors in South American hallucinogenic plants: Tryptamine and β-carboline constituents of Ayahuasca Eight ayahuasca samples from Peru and several Banisteriopsis caapi cultivars 1984 Qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis with in vitro assay
The alkaloids of Banisteriopsis caapi, the plant source of the Amazonian hallucinogen Ayahuasca, stimulate adult neurogenesis in vitro Progenitor cells from subventricular and subgranular zones of adult mice brains 2017 In vitro experimental study
N,N-dimethyltryptamine compound found in the hallucinogenic tea ayahuasca, regulates adult neurogenesis in vitro and in vivo Mice 2020 In vitro and in vivo experimental study
Behavioural and neurotoxic effects of ayahuasca infusion (Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis) in female Wistar rat Female Wistar rats 2015 Observational cohort
Effects of ayahuasca on the development of ethanol-induced behavioral sensitization and on a post-sensitization treatment in mice Mice 2015 Experimental study

Citations in the library

Cited by 12

and 7 more in the library

Cites 8

and 3 more in the library

Related reading

Explore topics

Ayahuasca Anxiety