Al-Habori Molham
Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sana'a, P.O. Box 19065, Sana'a, Republic of Yemen.
Expert Opin Drug Saf. 2005 Nov;4(6):1145-54. doi: 10.1517/14740338.4.6.1145.
The habit of Catha edulis Forsk (khat) chewing has prevailed for centuries among populations in the horn of Africa and the Arabian peninsula. Fresh leaves of Catha edulis are customarily chewed to attain a state of stimulation. The fact that cathinone has a closer structural similarity with amphetamine, and both share common pharmacodynamic features, led to the conclusion that cathinone is the most important active ingredient of Catha edulis, which causes the major pharmacological effects. Problems associated with repeated consumption of Catha edulis leaves are becoming evident. Literature surveys and clinical diagnostic studies revealed an association with prevalence of psychiatric morbidity. Repeated intermittent oral administration of Catha edulis to laboratory animals lead to development and expression of locomotor sensitisation. Catha edulis also leads to several peripheral effects that include increases in blood pressure and has been associated with the increased incidence of acute coronary vasospasm and myocardial infarction. Catha edulis also accounts for a number of gastrointestinal tract problems, oesophagitis, gastritis and delay intestinal absorption, as well as the development of oral keratotic white lesions at the site of chewing. Administration of Catha edulis extracts showed a deranged systemic capacity to handle oxidative radicals and induces cytotoxic effects in cells of liver and kidney, as well as induction of cell death in various human leukaemia cell lines and in peripheral human blood leukocytes.
巧茶咀嚼的习惯在非洲之角和阿拉伯半岛的人群中已盛行数百年。人们通常咀嚼巧茶的新鲜叶子以达到兴奋状态。卡西酮与苯丙胺在结构上有更相似之处，且二者具有共同的药效学特征，这使得人们得出结论，卡西酮是巧茶最重要的活性成分，它会引发主要的药理作用。与反复食用巧茶叶子相关的问题正变得日益明显。文献调查和临床诊断研究表明，其与精神疾病的患病率有关联。对实验动物反复间歇性口服巧茶会导致运动敏化的发展和表现。巧茶还会引发多种外周效应，包括血压升高，并且与急性冠状动脉痉挛和心肌梗死的发病率增加有关。巧茶还会引发一些胃肠道问题，如食管炎、胃炎和肠道吸收延迟，以及在咀嚼部位出现口腔角化性白色病变。给予巧茶提取物显示出机体处理氧化自由基的能力紊乱，并在肝脏和肾脏细胞中诱导细胞毒性作用，以及在各种人类白血病细胞系和外周血白细胞中诱导细胞死亡。
