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Reproductive effects of the psychoactive beverage ayahuasca in male Wistar rats after chronic exposure

Alana de Fátima Andrade Santos, Ana Luiza Sarkis Vieira, Aline Pic‐taylor, Eloísa Dutra Caldas

Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia March 9, 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.bjp.2017.01.006 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Animal study Peer reviewed
Sample size 60
Population Male Wistar rats
Intervention Ayahuasca
Dose 0 (control), 1, 2, 4 and 8 times the dose used in a religious ritual
Duration 70-day intervention, euthanized on day 71
Topics Ayahuasca
Keywords Epididymis Sperm Harmaline Testosterone patch Stomach Body weight Physiology Endocrinology
Citations 19
Key points Chronic ayahuasca at four times the ritualistic dose increased serum testosterone and reduced epididymal sperm reserves and transit time, with a no-observed-adverse-effect-level at twice the ritualistic dose.

Abstract

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive beverage used ancestrally by indigenous Amazonian tribes and, more recently, by Christian religions in Brazil and other countries. This study aimed to investigate the reproductive effects of this beverage in male Wistar rats after chronic exposure. The rats were treated by gavage every other day for 70 days at 0 (control), 1, 2, 4 and 8 the dose used in a religious ritual (12 animals per group), and animals euthanized on the 71 st day. Compared to controls, there was a significant decrease in food consumption and body weight gain in rats from the 4 and 8 groups, and a significant increase in the brain and stomach relative weight at the 8 group. There was a significant increase in total serum testosterone, and a decrease in spermatic transit time and spermatic reserves in the epididymis caudae in the 4 group, but not in the highest dose group. No significant changes were found in the other reproductive endpoints (spermatozoid motility and morphology, total spermatozoid count and daily sperm production), and histology of testis and epididymis. This study identified a no-observed-adverse-effect-level for chronic and reproductive effects of ayahuasca in male Wistar rats at 2 the ritualistic dose, which corresponds in this study to 0.62 mg/kg bw N,N-dimethyltryptamine, 6.6 mg/kg bw harmine and 0.52 mg/kg bw harmaline. A potential toxic effect of ayahuasca in male rats was observed at the 4 dose, with a non-monotonic dose-response. Studies investigating the role of ayahuasca components in regulating testosterone levels are needed to better understand this action.

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

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