Lemieux Andrine M, Li Bingshuo, al'Absi Mustafa
University of Minnesota Medical School Duluth Campus, Duluth, MN, USA.
University of Minnesota Medical School Duluth Campus, Duluth, MN, USA; Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2015 Feb 3;160:78-85. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2014.11.002. Epub 2014 Nov 28.
To understand the role of khat (Catha edulis) use on the aberrations in appetite and weight which are common comorbidities for khat and other amphetamine users.
We provide a comprehensive overview and conceptual summary of the historical cultural use of khat as a natural stimulant and describe the similarities and differences between cathinone (the main psychoactive constituent of khat) and amphetamine highlighting the limited literature on the neurophysiology of appetite and subsequent weight effects of khat.
Animal and some human studies indicate that khat produces appetite suppression, although little is known about mechanisms of this effect. Both direct and indirect effects of khat stem from multiple factors including behavioral, chemical and neurophysiological effects on appetite and metabolism. Classic and newly identified appetite hormones have not been explored sufficiently in the study of appetite and khat use. Unique methodological challenges and opportunities are encountered when examining effects of khat and cathinone including khat-specific medical comorbidities, unique route of administration, differential patterns of behavioral effects relative to amphetamines and the nascent state of our understanding of the neurobiology of this drug.
A considerable amount of work remains in the study of the appetite effects of khat chewing and outline a program of research that could inform our understanding of this natural amphetamine׳s appetite effects and help prepare health care workers for the unique health effects of this drug.
了解恰特草（Catha edulis）的使用对食欲和体重异常的作用，这些是恰特草使用者和其他苯丙胺使用者常见的共病。
我们全面概述并概念性总结了恰特草作为天然兴奋剂的历史文化用途，并描述了去甲伪麻黄碱（恰特草的主要精神活性成分）与苯丙胺之间的异同，强调了关于恰特草食欲神经生理学及后续体重影响的文献有限。
动物和一些人体研究表明恰特草会抑制食欲，尽管对这种作用的机制了解甚少。恰特草的直接和间接作用源于多种因素，包括对食欲和新陈代谢的行为、化学和神经生理学影响。在食欲及恰特草使用的研究中，尚未充分探索经典和新发现的食欲激素。在研究恰特草和去甲伪麻黄碱的作用时会遇到独特的方法学挑战和机遇，包括恰特草特有的医学共病、独特的给药途径、相对于苯丙胺的不同行为效应模式以及我们对这种药物神经生物学的初步了解状态。
在恰特草咀嚼对食欲影响的研究方面仍有大量工作要做，并概述了一个研究计划，该计划可为我们对这种天然苯丙胺食欲影响的理解提供信息，并帮助医护人员为这种药物的独特健康影响做好准备。
