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Effects of ibogaine per os application on redox homeostasis in rat liver and erythrocytes

Teodora Vidonja Uzelac, Nikola Tatalović, Milica Mijović, Gordana Koželj, Aleksandra Nikolić-kokić, Zorana Oreščanin-dušić, Mara Bresjanac, Duško Blagojević

Archives of Biological Sciences December 5, 2018 DOI: 10.2298/abs180918055v (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Animal study Peer reviewed
Population Rat liver and erythrocytes
Intervention Ibogaine
Dose 1 or 20 mg/kg body weight
Duration 6 and 24 hours post-administration
Topics Ibogaine
Keywords Oxidative stress Pharmacology Superoxide dismutase Glutathione peroxidase Antioxidant Glutathione reductase Tbars Catalase Xanthine oxidase Reactive oxygen species Biochemistry Enzyme
Citations 7
Key points Ibogaine treatment influenced hepatic redox homeostasis without altering the activities of key antioxidant enzymes in the liver or erythrocytes at 6 and 24 hours post-administration.

Abstract

Ibogaine, administered as a single oral dose (1-25 mg/kg body weight), has been used as an addiction-interrupting agent. Its effects persist for up to 72 h. Ex vivo results showed that ibogaine induced cellular energy consumption and restitution, followed by increased reactive oxygen species production and antioxidant activity. Therefore, the aim of this work was to explore the effect of a single oral dose of ibogaine (1 or 20 mg/kg body weight) on antioxidative defenses in rat liver and erythrocytes. Six and 24 h after ibogaine administration, histological examination showed glycogenolytic activity in hepatocytes, which was highest after 24 h in animals that received 20 mg/kg ibogaine. There were no changes in the activities of superoxide dismutases, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and glutathione-S-transferase in the liver and erythrocytes after ibogaine treatment, regardless of the dose. Hepatic xanthine oxidase activity was elevated in rats that received 20 mg/kg compared to the controls (p<0.01), suggesting faster adenosine turnover. TBARS concentration was elevated in the group treated with 1 mg/kg after 24 h compared to the controls (p<0.01), suggesting mild oxidative stress. Our results show that ibogaine treatment influenced hepatic redox homeostasis, but not sufficiently to remodel antioxidant enzyme activities at 6 and 24 h post-ibogaine application.