DARK Classics in Chemical Neuroscience: Ibogaine
Michael Wasko, Paula A. Witt‐enderby, Christopher K. Surratt
ACS Chemical Neuroscience September 14, 2018 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00294 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Ibogaine 18-methoxycoronaridine (18-MC) |
| Topics | Ibogaine |
| Keywords | Hallucinogen Nicotine Synthetic cannabinoids Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor Nicotinic agonist Neuropharmacology |
| Citations | 63 |
| Key findings | Ibogaine's actions at nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes may underlie its antiopiate effects, and the analog 18-MC retains anticraving properties with reduced toxicity. |
Abstract
The West African iboga plant has been used for centuries by the Bwiti and Mbiri tribes to induce hallucinations during religious ceremonies. Ibogaine, the principal alkaloid responsible for iboga's psychedelic properties, was isolated and sold as an antidepressant in France for decades before its adverse effects precipitated its removal from the market. An ibogaine resurgence in the 1960s was driven by U.S. heroin addicts who claimed that ibogaine cured their opiate addictions. Behavioral pharmacologic studies in animal models provided evidence that ibogaine could blunt self-administration of not only opiates but cocaine, amphetamines, and nicotine. Ibogaine displays moderate-to-weak affinities for a wide spectrum of receptor and transporter proteins; recent work suggests that its actions at nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes may underlie its reputed antiopiate effects. At micromolar levels, ibogaine is neurotoxic and cardiotoxic and has been linked to several deaths by cardiac arrest. Structure-activity studies led to the isolation of the ibogaine analog 18-methoxycoronaridine (18-MC), an α3β4 nicotinic receptor modulator that retains ibogaine's anticraving properties with few or no adverse effects. Clinical trials of 18-MC treatment of nicotine addiction are pending. Ibogaine analogs may also hold promise for treating anxiety and depression via the "psychedelic-assisted therapy" approach that employs hallucinogens including psilocybin and methylenedioxymethamphetamine ("ecstasy").
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on ibogaine, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychedelics as medicines for substance abuse rehabilitation: evaluating treatments with LSD, Peyote, Ibogaine and Ayahuasca. | 2014 | Review | |
| The Anti-Addiction Drug Ibogaine and the Heart: A Delicate Relation Humans, animals | 2015 | Review | |
| Ibogaine in the treatment of substance dependence. | 2013 | Review | |
| Ibogaine, an anti-addictive drug: pharmacology and time to go further in development. A narrative review. | 2008 | Review | |
| Registered clinical studies investigating psychedelic drugs for psychiatric disorders. Registered clinical trials on clinicaltrials.gov evaluating psychedelics for... | 2021 | Review | n = 70 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 42
- A non-hallucinogenic psychedelic analogue with therapeutic potential. Nature 2021
- Structure-based discovery of conformationally selective inhibitors of the serotonin transporter. Cell May 11, 2023
- Psychedelic Treatment for Trauma-Related Psychological and Cognitive Impairment Among US Special Operations Forces Veterans Chronic Stress August 12, 2020
- Rapid-acting antidepressants. Advances in pharmacology (San Diego, Calif.) 2019
- Magnesium-ibogaine therapy in veterans with traumatic brain injuries. Nature Medicine February 1, 2024
and 37 more in the library
Cites 59
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- Noncompetitive Functional Inhibition at Diverse, Human Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subtypes by Bupropion, Phencyclidine, and Ibogaine Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 1999
and 54 more in the library