The sigma-1 receptor is widely distributed in the central nervous system and periphery. Originally mischaracterized as an opioid receptor, the sigma-1 receptor binds a vast number of synthetic compounds but does not bind opioid peptides; it is currently considered an orphan receptor. The sigma-1 receptor pharmacophore includes an alkylamine core, also found in the endogenous compound...
Abstract Introduction Ayahuasca is obtained by infusing the pounded stems of Banisteriopsis caapi in combination with the leaves of Psychotria viridis . P . viridis is rich in the psychedelic indole N , N ‐dimethyltryptamine, whereas B . caapi contains substantial amounts of β ‐carboline alkaloids, mainly harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroharmine, which are monoamine‐oxidase inhibitors. Because...
Abstract The optimal separation conditions and online sample concentration for N , N ‐dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and related compounds, including α‐methyltryptamine (AMT), 5‐methoxy‐AMT (5‐MeO‐AMT), N , N ‐diethyltryptamine (DET), N , N ‐dipropyltryptamine (DPT), N , N ‐dibutyltryptamine (DBT), N , N ‐diisopropyltryptamine (DiPT), 5‐methoxy‐DMT (5‐MeO‐DMT), and 5‐methoxy‐ N , N ‐DiPT...
This work describes the historical importance and the use of hallucinogenic plants by different civilizations.A comparison between three Brazilian plants whose active principle is N,N-dimethyltriptamine (DMT), and three plant species native to Europe whose active principles are tropanic alkaloids was carried out and we observed these plants promoted different types of hallucinations.
Há séculos, o chá da ayahuasca vem sendo utilizado por tribos indígenas da Bacia Amazônica e do sul dos Andes\ncom finalidades terapêuticas, mágicas e religiosas. No século passado, surgiram seitas não indígenas que fazem\nuso deste chá e, por intermédio dessas religiões, este composto vem se difundindo pelo mundo. A ayahuasca é\nconstituída pelo caule classificado como liana da espécie...
Many psychotropic substances are easily available in Japan via the Internet, thus the spread of drug abuse is becoming more serious problem. To avoid drug abuse, 32 substances have been controlled in Japan since April in 2007 by the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law as designated substances (Shitei-Yakubutsu, classified as 11 tryptamines, 11 phenethylamines, 2 piperazines, 6 alkyl nitrites, 1...
Recent attention to the monoamine oxidase inhibiting properties of Banisteriopsis caapi's harmala alkaloids has precluded a balanced assessment of B. caapi's overall significance to indigenous South American societies. Relatively little attention has been paid to the cultural contexts, local meanings and patterns of use of B. caapi among snuff-using societies, such as the Piaroa, who do not...
Abstract Recently many people have shown great interest in traditional indigenous practices and popular medicine, involving the ingestion of natural psychotropic drugs. We received a request to analyze and determine the nature of a dark green liquid with a dark brown plant sediment, which the police had seized at an airport and inside the home of a person belonging to the ‘Santo Daime’...
Brominated indole alkaloids are a common class of metabolites reported from sponges of the order Verongida. Herein we report the isolation, structure determination, and activity of metabolites from three Florida sponges, namely, Verongula rigida (order Verongida, family Aplysinidae), Smenospongia aurea, and S. cerebriformis (order Dictyoceratida, family Thorectidae). All three species were...
NeuroscienceJanuary 24, 2008K Sano, K Mishima, E Koushi et al.
Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been reported to induce catalepsy-like immobilization, but the mechanism underlying this effect remains unclear. In the present study, in order to fully understand the neural circuits involved, we determined the brain sites involved in the immobilization effect in rats. THC dose-dependently induced catalepsy-like immobilization. THC-induced catalepsy-like...