OPEN Foundation

E. Maillet

Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of low dose lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in healthy older volunteers.

December 18, 2019 / LSD, Neuroscience, Papers, Psychiatry, Psychology, Psychopharmacology, Psychotherapy, Publications, Safety / By / , , , ,

Abstract

Research has shown that psychedelics, such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), have profound anti-inflammatory properties mediated by 5-HT2A receptor signaling, supporting their evaluation as a therapeutic for neuroinflammation associated with neurodegenerative disease.
OBJECTIVE:
This study evaluated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of orally repeated administration of 5 μg, 10 μg, and 20 μg LSD in older healthy individuals. In the current paper, we present safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamic measures that relate to safety, tolerability, and dose response.
METHODS:
This was a phase 1 double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study. Volunteers were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 dose groups (5 μg, 10 μg, 20 μg LSD, and placebo), and received their assigned dose on six occasions (i.e., every 4 days).
RESULTS:
Forty-eight older healthy volunteers (mean age = 62.9 years) received placebo (n = 12), 5 μg (n = 12), 10 μg (n = 12), or 20 μg (n = 12) LSD. LSD plasma levels were undetectable for the 5 μg group and peak blood plasma levels for the 10 μg and 20 μg groups occurred at 30 min. LSD was well tolerated, and the frequency of adverse events was no higher than for placebo. Assessments of cognition, balance, and proprioception revealed no impairment.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our results suggest safety and tolerability of orally administered 5 μg, 10 μg, and 20 μg LSD every fourth day over a 21-day period and support further clinical development of LSD for the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Family, N., Maillet, E. L., Williams, L. T., Krediet, E., Carhart-Harris, R. L., Williams, T. M., … & Raz, S. (2019). Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of low dose lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in healthy older volunteers. Psychopharmacology, 1-13., https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-019-05417-7
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Oral noribogaine shows high brain uptake and anti-withdrawal effects not associated with place preference in rodents

April 4, 2016 / Addiction, Iboga / Ibogaine, Neuroscience, Papers, Psychopharmacology, Publications / By / , , , ,

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of noribogaine, the principal metabolite of the drug ibogaine, on substance-related disorders. In the first experiment, mice chronically treated with morphine were subjected to naloxone-precipitated withdrawal two hours after oral administration of noribogaine. Oral noribogaine dose dependently decreased the global opiate withdrawal score by up to 88% of vehicle control with an ED50of 13 mg/kg. In the second experiment, blood and brain levels of noribogaine showed a high brain penetration and a brain/blood ratio of 7±1 across all doses tested. In a third experiment, rats given oral noribogaine up to 100 mg/kg were tested for abuse liability using a standard biased conditioned place paradigm. Noribogaine-treated rats did not display place preference, suggesting that noribogaine is not perceived as a hedonic stimulus in rodents. Retrospective review of published studies assessing the efficacy of ibogaine on morphine withdrawal shows that the most likely cause of the discrepancies in the literature is the different routes of administration and time of testing following ibogaine administration. These results suggest that the metabolite noribogaine rather than the parent compound mediates the effects of ibogaine on blocking naloxone-precipitated withdrawal. Noribogaine may hold promise as a non-addicting alternative to standard opiate replacement therapies to transition patients to opiate abstinence.

Mash, D. C., Ameer, B., Prou, D., Howes, J. F., & Maillet, E. L. (2016). Oral noribogaine shows high brain uptake and anti-withdrawal effects not associated with place preference in rodents. Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England). http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0269881116641331

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Noribogaine is a G-Protein Biased κ-Opioid Receptor Agonist

August 21, 2015 / Addiction, Iboga / Ibogaine, Neuroscience, Other disciplines, Papers, Psychology, Psychopharmacology, Psychotherapy, Publications / By / , , , , , ,

Abstract

Noribogaine is the long-lived human metabolite of the anti-addictive substance ibogaine. Noribogaine efficaciously reaches the brain with concentrations up to 20 μM after acute therapeutic dose of 40 mg/kg ibogaine in animals. Noribogaine displays atypical opioid-like components in vivo, anti-addictive effects and potent modulatory properties of the tolerance to opiates for which the mode of action remained uncharacterized thus far. Our binding experiments and computational simulations indicates that noribogaine may bind to the orthosteric morphinan binding site of the opioid receptors. Functional activities of noribogaine at G-protein and non G-protein pathways of the mu and kappa opioid receptors were characterized. Noribogaine was a weak mu antagonist with a functional inhibition constants (Ke) of 20 μM at the G-protein and β-arrestin signaling pathways. Conversely, noribogaine was a G-protein biased kappa agonist 75% as efficacious as dynorphin A at stimulating GDP-GTP exchange (EC50 = 9 μM) but only 12% as efficacious at recruiting β-arrestin, which could contribute to the lack of dysphoric effects of noribogaine. In turn, noribogaine functionally inhibited dynorphin-induced kappa β-arrestin recruitment and was more potent than its G-protein agonistic activity with an IC50 of 1 μM. This biased agonist/antagonist pharmacology is unique to noribogaine in comparison to various other ligands including ibogaine, 18-MC, nalmefene, and 6’-GNTI. We predict noribogaine to promote certain analgesic effects as well as anti-addictive effects at effective concentrations >1 μM in the brain. Because elevated levels of dynorphins are commonly observed and correlated with anxiety, dysphoric effects, and decreased dopaminergic tone, a therapeutically relevant functional inhibition bias to endogenously released dynorphins by noribogaine might be worthy of consideration for treating anxiety and substance related disorders.

Maillet, E. L., Milon, N., Heghinian, M. D., Fishback, J., Schürer, S. C., Garamszegi, N., & Mash, D. C. (2015). Noribogaine is a G-Protein Biased κ-Opioid Receptor Agonist. Neuropharmacology. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2015.08.032
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Noribogaine reduces nicotine self-administration in rats

May 20, 2015 / Addiction, Iboga / Ibogaine, Papers, Psychiatry, Psychology, Psychopharmacology, Publications / By / , , ,

Abstract

Noribogaine, a polypharmacological drug with activities at opioid receptors, ionotropic nicotinic receptors, and serotonin reuptake transporters, has been investigated for treatment of substance abuse-related disorders. Smoking cessation has major benefits for both individuals and society, therefore the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of noribogaine for use as a treatment for nicotine dependence. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to self-administer nicotine intravenous. After initial food pellet training, followed by 26 sessions of nicotine self-administration training, the rats were administered noribogaine (12.5, 25 or 50 mg/kg orally), noribogaine vehicle, varenicline or saline using a within-subject design with a Latin square test schedule. Noribogaine dose-dependently decreased nicotine self-administration by up to 64% of saline-treated rats’ levels and was equi-effective to 1.7 mg/kg intraperitoneal varenicline. Noribogaine was less efficient at reducing food pellets self-administration than at nicotine self-administration, inhibiting the nondrug reinforcing effects of palatable pellets by 23% at the highest dose. These results suggest that noribogaine dose-dependently attenuates drug-taking behavior for nicotine, attenuates the reinforcing effects of nicotine and is comparable to varenicline power in that regard. The findings from the present study hold promise for a new therapy to aid smoking cessation.

Chang, Q., Hanania, T., Mash, D. C., & Maillet, E. L. (2015). Noribogaine reduces nicotine self-administration in rats. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 29(6), 704-711. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0269881115584461
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30 April - Q&A with Rick Strassman

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