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Psychoactive Natural Products
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Psychoactive Natural Products

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2019) | Viewed by 30160

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Wayne W. Harding

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Hunter College, New York, NY, USA
Interests: medicinal chemistry; CNS ligands; natural products total synthesis; cancer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Psychoactive substances alter ones mental state, leading to changes in perception, mood, behavior, or conciousness. Psychoactive compounds have been identified from several natural sources, and these psychoactive natural products have found uses as probes for central nervous system (CNS) receptors and as leads for drug discovery. Furthermore, pharmacological studies on psychoactive natural products and their natural sources have enlightened the fundamental mechanistic underpinnings mediating the exhibited psychoactivity. This Special Issue aims to review recent examples on the isolation, structure elucidation, synthesis and pharmacological assessments on psychoactive natural products.

Prof. Dr. Wayne W. Harding
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Psychoactive
  • Natural product
  • Central Nervous System
  • Hallucinogen
  • Anxiolytic
  • Stimulant
  • Depressant
  • Empathogen

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4792 KiB  
Article
Tiansi Liquid Modulates Gut Microbiota Composition and Tryptophan–Kynurenine Metabolism in Rats with Hydrocortisone-Induced Depression
by Dan Cheng, Hongsheng Chang, Suya Ma, Jian Guo, Gaimei She, Feilong Zhang, Lingling Li, Xinjie Li and Yi Lu
Molecules 2018, 23(11), 2832; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23112832 - 31 Oct 2018
Cited by 32 | Viewed by 4686
Abstract
Tiansi Liquid is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine used to treat depression; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we examined the effect of Tiansi Liquid in a rat model of hydrocortisone-induced depression using behavioral testing, 16S rRNA high-throughput pyrosequencing and high-performance liquid [...] Read more.
Tiansi Liquid is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine used to treat depression; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we examined the effect of Tiansi Liquid in a rat model of hydrocortisone-induced depression using behavioral testing, 16S rRNA high-throughput pyrosequencing and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based metabolomics of the tryptophan (TRP)–kynurenine (KYN) pathway. Tiansi Liquid significantly improved the sucrose preference and exploratory behavior of the depressive rats. The richness of intestinal mucosa samples from the model (depressive) group tended to be higher than that from the control group, while the richness was higher in the Tiansi Liquid-treated group than in the model group. Tiansi Liquid increased the relative abundance of some microbiota (Ruminococcaceae, Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group). Metabolomics showed that Tiansi Liquid reduced the levels of tryptophan 2,3 dioxygenase, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, quinoline and the KYN/TRP ratio, while increasing kynurenic acid and 5-HT levels. Correlation analysis revealed a negative relationship between the relative abundance of the Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group and quinoline content. Collectively, these findings suggest that Tiansi Liquid ameliorates depressive symptoms in rats by modulating the gut microbiota composition and metabolites in the TRP–KYN pathway. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychoactive Natural Products)
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17 pages, 4898 KiB  
Article
Evaluating Marine Cyanobacteria as a Source for CNS Receptor Ligands
by Andrea L. Rague, Stacy-Ann J. Parker and Kevin J. Tidgewell
Molecules 2018, 23(10), 2665; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23102665 - 17 Oct 2018
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3204
Abstract
Natural products have a long history as a source of psychoactive agents and pharmacological tools for understanding the brain and its circuitry. In the last two decades, marine cyanobacteria have become a standard source of natural product ligands with cytotoxic properties. The study [...] Read more.
Natural products have a long history as a source of psychoactive agents and pharmacological tools for understanding the brain and its circuitry. In the last two decades, marine cyanobacteria have become a standard source of natural product ligands with cytotoxic properties. The study of cyanobacterial metabolites as CNS modulatory agents has remained largely untapped, despite the need for new molecules to treat and understand CNS disorders. We have generated a library of 301 fractions from 37 field collected cyanobacterial samples and screened these fractions against a panel of CNS receptors using radiolabeled ligand competitive-binding assays. Herein we present an analysis of the screening data collected to date, which show that cyanobacteria are prolific producers of compounds which bind to important CNS receptors, including those for 5-HT, DA, monoamine transporters, adrenergic, sigma, and cannabinoid receptors. In addition to the analysis of our screening efforts, we will also present the isolation of five compounds from the same cyanobacterial collection to illustrate how pre-fractionation followed by radioligand screening can lead to rapid identification of selective CNS agents. The systematic screening of natural products sources, specifically filamentous marine cyanobacteria, will yield a number of lead compounds for further development as pharmacological tools and therapeutics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychoactive Natural Products)
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21 pages, 3558 KiB  
Article
New Methods for the Comprehensive Analysis of Bioactive Compounds in Cannabis sativa L. (hemp)
by Federica Pellati, Virginia Brighenti, Johanna Sperlea, Lucia Marchetti, Davide Bertelli and Stefania Benvenuti
Molecules 2018, 23(10), 2639; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23102639 - 14 Oct 2018
Cited by 135 | Viewed by 16536
Abstract
Cannabis sativa L. is a dioecious plant belonging to the Cannabaceae family. The main phytochemicals that are found in this plant are represented by cannabinoids, flavones, and terpenes. Some biological activities of cannabinoids are known to be enhanced by the presence of terpenes [...] Read more.
Cannabis sativa L. is a dioecious plant belonging to the Cannabaceae family. The main phytochemicals that are found in this plant are represented by cannabinoids, flavones, and terpenes. Some biological activities of cannabinoids are known to be enhanced by the presence of terpenes and flavonoids in the extracts, due to a synergistic action. In the light of all the above, the present study was aimed at the multi-component analysis of the bioactive compounds present in fibre-type C. sativa (hemp) inflorescences of different varieties by means of innovative HPLC and GC methods. In particular, the profiling of non-psychoactive cannabinoids was carried out by means of HPLC-UV/DAD, ESI-MS, and MS2. The content of prenylated flavones in hemp extracts, including cannflavins A and B, was also evaluated by HPLC. The study on Cannabis volatile compounds was performed by developing a new method based on headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with GC-MS and GC-FID. Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) and cannabidiol (CBD) were found to be the most abundant cannabinoids in the hemp samples analysed, while β-myrcene and β-caryophyllene were the major terpenes. As regards flavonoids, cannflavin A was observed to be the main compound in almost all the samples. The methods developed in this work are suitable for the comprehensive chemical analysis of both hemp plant material and related pharmaceutical or nutraceutical products in order to ensure their quality, efficacy, and safety. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychoactive Natural Products)
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25 pages, 3077 KiB  
Article
Kappa Opioid Receptor Agonist Mesyl Sal B Attenuates Behavioral Sensitization to Cocaine with Fewer Aversive Side-Effects than Salvinorin A in Rodents
by Bronwyn M. Kivell, Kelly F. Paton, Nitin Kumar, Aashish S. Morani, Aimee Culverhouse, Amy Shepherd, Susan A. Welsh, Andrew Biggerstaff, Rachel S. Crowley and Thomas E. Prisinzano
Molecules 2018, 23(10), 2602; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23102602 - 11 Oct 2018
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 5271
Abstract
The acute activation of kappa opioid receptors (KOPr) produces antinociceptive and anti-cocaine effects, however, their side-effects have limited further clinical development. Mesyl Sal B is a potent and selective KOPr analogue of Salvinorin A (Sal A), a psychoactive natural product isolated from the [...] Read more.
The acute activation of kappa opioid receptors (KOPr) produces antinociceptive and anti-cocaine effects, however, their side-effects have limited further clinical development. Mesyl Sal B is a potent and selective KOPr analogue of Salvinorin A (Sal A), a psychoactive natural product isolated from the plant Salvia divinorum. We assessed the antinociceptive, anti-cocaine, and side-effects of Mesyl Sal B. The anti-cocaine effects are evaluated in cocaine-induced hyperactivity and behavioral sensitization to cocaine in male Sprague Dawley rats. Mesyl Sal B was assessed for anhedonia (conditioned taste aversion), aversion (conditioned place aversion), pro-depressive effects (forced swim test), anxiety (elevated plus maze) and learning and memory deficits (novel object recognition). In male B6.SJL mice, the antinociceptive effects were evaluated in warm-water (50 °C) tail withdrawal and intraplantar formaldehyde (2%) assays and the sedative effects measured with the rotarod performance task. Mesyl Sal B (0.3 mg/kg) attenuated cocaine-induced hyperactivity and behavioral sensitization to cocaine without modulating sucrose self-administration and without producing aversion, sedation, anxiety, or learning and memory impairment in rats. However, increased immobility was observed in the forced swim test indicating pro-depressive effects. Mesyl Sal B was not as potent as Sal A at reducing pain in the antinociceptive assays. In conclusion, Mesyl Sal B possesses anti-cocaine effects, is longer acting in vivo and has fewer side-effects when compared to Sal A, however, the antinociceptive effects are limited. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Psychoactive Natural Products)
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