Pomilio A B, Vitale A A, Ciprian-Ollivier J, Cetkovich-Bakmas M, Gómez R, Vázquez G
Departamento de Química Orgánica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
J Ethnopharmacol. 1999 Apr;65(1):29-51. doi: 10.1016/s0378-8741(98)00163-9.
The experimental psychosis observed after drinking Ayahoasca, a South American hallucinogenic beverage from the Amazon Indians, reproduces the pathologic transmethylation theory of schizophrenia. This theory postulates a decrease in the monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity, which results in the accumulation of methylated indolealkylamines, such as bufotenin (5-hydroxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine), N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine. These substances are strong hallucinogens as has been previously confirmed experimentally. On the other hand, it is known that Ayahoasca is a beverage usually prepared by boiling two plants, one of them rich in beta-carbolines, which are naturally occurring strong inhibitors of MAO, and the other with high quantities of DMT. This particular combination reproduces what is supposed to occur under pathologic conditions of different psychoses. The effects of Ayahoasca were studied in subjects, assessing urine levels of DMT by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) before and after the intake of the beverage. The results of this study confirm that the hallucinogenic compounds detected in the healthy subjects' (post-Hoasca, but not before) urine samples are the same as those found in samples from acute psychotic unmedicated patients. The chemical composition of the Ayahoasca beverage, and of the plant material used for its preparation are also reported as well as psychometric and neuroendocrine subject parameters.
饮用南美亚马逊印第安人的致幻饮料阿亚华斯卡后观察到的实验性精神病，再现了精神分裂症的病理性转甲基化理论。该理论假定单胺氧化酶（MAO）活性降低，这会导致甲基化吲哚烷基胺的积累，如蟾蜍色胺（5-羟基-N,N-二甲基色胺）、N,N-二甲基色胺（DMT）和5-甲氧基-N,N-二甲基色胺。这些物质是强效致幻剂，此前已通过实验得到证实。另一方面，已知阿亚华斯卡是一种通常由两种植物煮沸制成的饮料，其中一种富含β-咔啉，它是天然存在的强效MAO抑制剂，另一种含有大量DMT。这种特殊的组合再现了不同精神病病理状况下应该发生的情况。在受试者中研究了阿亚华斯卡的效果，通过气相色谱-质谱联用（GC-MS）评估饮用该饮料前后尿液中DMT的水平。这项研究的结果证实，在健康受试者（饮用阿亚华斯卡后，但饮用前没有）尿液样本中检测到的致幻化合物与未用药的急性精神病患者样本中发现的致幻化合物相同。还报告了阿亚华斯卡饮料及其制备所用植物材料的化学成分，以及心理测量和神经内分泌受试者参数。
