Biological Effects and Biodistribution of Bufotenine on Mice.
Hugo Vigerelli, Juliana Mozer Sciani, Maria Andrea Camarano Eula, Luciana Almeida Sato, Marta M Antoniazzi, Carlos Jared, Daniel C Pimenta
BioMed Research International 2018 DOI: 10.1155/2018/1032638 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Preclinical study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Mice |
| Intervention | Bufotenine |
| Dose | 0.63, 1.05, and 2.1 mg/animal/day |
| Duration | 21 consecutive days |
| Keywords | Drug safety Long-term safety Impact on behavior Body functions Tissue distribution Normal physiology No organ damage Antiviral research Effective against rabies Drug prototype Preclinical study Studied Researchers assessed Mice Daily doses Positive results Neuropharmacology Similar To LSD Mild behavioral changes |
| Citations | 21 |
| Key points | The effective dose of bufotenine (0.63 mg/day) is safe in mice, causing no significant physiological or central nervous system effects, while higher doses produce only mild behavioral changes. |
Abstract
Bufotenine is an alkaloid derived from serotonin, structurally similar to LSD and psilocin. This molecule is able to inhibit the rabies virus infection in in vitro and in vivo models, increasing the survival rate of infected animals. Being a very promising molecule for an incurable disease and because of the fact that there is no consensus regarding its neurological effects, this study aimed to evaluate chronic treatment of bufotenine on behavior, pathophysiology, and pharmacokinetics of mice. Animals were daily treated for 21 consecutive days with 0.63, 1.05, and 2.1 mg/animal/day bufotenine and evaluated by open field test and physiological parameters during all the experiment. After this period, organs were collected for histopathological and biodistribution analysis. Animals treated with bufotenine had mild behavioral alterations compared to the control group, being dose-response relationship. On the other hand, animals showed normal physiological functions and no histological alterations in the organs. With high doses, an inflammatory reaction was observed in the site of injection, but with no cellular damage. The alkaloid could be found in the heart and kidney with all doses and in the lungs and brain with higher doses. These results show that the effective dose, 0.63 mg/day, is safe to be administered in mice, since it did not cause significant effects on the animals' physiology and on the CNS. Higher doses were well tolerated, causing only mild behavioral effects. Thus, bufotenine might be a drug prototype for rabies treatment, an incurable disease.