The alkaloids of Banisteriopsis caapi, the plant source of the Amazonian hallucinogen Ayahuasca, stimulate adult neurogenesis in vitro
This in vitro study investigated the neurogenic properties of alkaloids found in Banisteriopsis caapi, the vine component of ayahuasca. It finds that harmine, tetrahydroharmine, and harmaline stimulated the proliferation, migration, and differentiation of adult neural stem cells, suggesting a mechanism for the antidepressant effects of ayahuasca.
Authors
- Jordi Riba
- Amanda Feilding
Published
Abstract
Banisteriopsis caapi is the basic ingredient of ayahuasca, a psychotropic plant tea used in the Amazon for ritual and medicinal purposes, and by interested individuals worldwide. Animal studies and recent clinical research suggests that B. caapi preparations show antidepressant activity, a therapeutic effect that has been linked to hippocampal neurogenesis. Here we report that harmine, tetrahydroharmine and harmaline, the three main alkaloids present in B. caapi, and the harmine metabolite harmol, stimulate adult neurogenesis in vitro. In neurospheres prepared from progenitor cells obtained from the subventricular and the subgranular zones of adult mice brains, all compounds stimulated neural stem cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation into adult neurons. These findings suggest that modulation of brain plasticity could be a major contribution to the antidepressant effects of ayahuasca. They also expand the potential application of B. caapi alkaloids to other brain disorders that may benefit from stimulation of endogenous neural precursor niches.
Research Summary of 'The alkaloids of Banisteriopsis caapi, the plant source of the Amazonian hallucinogen Ayahuasca, stimulate adult neurogenesis in vitro'
Introduction
Ayahuasca is a traditional Amazonian plant tea whose primary botanical ingredient is Banisteriopsis caapi. Earlier research has focused heavily on the psychedelic N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) present in some ayahuasca brews, but B. caapi itself contains high levels of β-carboline alkaloids—primarily harmine, tetrahydroharmine (THH) and harmaline—that are reversible MAO-A inhibitors and have shown antidepressant-like effects in animal models. Because clinically effective antidepressants commonly promote adult hippocampal neurogenesis, and some animal data indicate that harmine increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and produces antidepressant-like behaviours, there is a plausible link between B. caapi alkaloids and neurogenic mechanisms relevant to mood disorders and other CNS conditions. Morales-García and colleagues set out to test whether the main B. caapi β-carbolines (harmine, THH, harmaline) and harmine’s human metabolite harmol directly affect adult neural stem/progenitor cells in vitro. The study specifically examined effects on proliferation, migration and differentiation of progenitors derived from the two canonical adult neurogenic niches—the subventricular zone (SVZ) and the subgranular zone (SGZ) of adult mice—using neurosphere cultures as the experimental model.
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Study Details
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- APA Citation
Morales-García, J. A., de la Fuente Revenga, M., Alonso-Gil, S., Rodríguez-Franco, M. I., Feilding, A., Perez-Castillo, A., & Riba, J. (2017). The alkaloids of Banisteriopsis caapi, the plant source of the Amazonian hallucinogen Ayahuasca, stimulate adult neurogenesis in vitro. Scientific Reports, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-05407-9
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