Department of Neurosciences and Behavior, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto 14040-900, Brazil.
National Institute of Science and Technology-Translational Medicine, Ribeirão Preto 3900, Brazil.
Biomolecules. 2022 Nov 2;12(11):1618. doi: 10.3390/biom12111618.
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew traditionally used in indigenous and religious rituals and ceremonies in South America for its therapeutic, psychedelic, and entheogenic effects. It is usually prepared by lengthy boiling of the leaves of the bush and the mashed stalks of the vine in water. The former contains the classical psychedelic N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), which is thought to be the main psychoactive alkaloid present in the brew. The latter serves as a source for β-carbolines, known for their monoamine oxidase-inhibiting (MAOI) properties. Recent preliminary research has provided encouraging results investigating ayahuasca's therapeutic potential, especially regarding its antidepressant effects. On a molecular level, pre-clinical and clinical evidence points to a complex pharmacological profile conveyed by the brew, including modulation of serotoninergic, glutamatergic, dopaminergic, and endocannabinoid systems. Its substances also interact with the vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT), trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1), and sigma-1 receptors. Furthermore, ayahuasca's components also seem to modulate levels of inflammatory and neurotrophic factors beneficially. On a biological level, this translates into neuroprotective and neuroplastic effects. Here we review the current knowledge regarding these molecular interactions and how they relate to the possible antidepressant effects ayahuasca seems to produce.
阿育吠陀是一种精神活性的酿造物，传统上在南美洲被用于土著和宗教仪式和典礼中，因其治疗、迷幻和致幻效果而受到重视。它通常通过长时间煮沸灌木的叶子和藤本植物的捣碎茎干在水中制成。前者含有经典的迷幻 N,N-二甲基色胺（DMT），被认为是这种酿造物中主要的精神活性生物碱。后者是β-咔啉的来源，β-咔啉以其单胺氧化酶抑制（MAOI）特性而闻名。最近的初步研究提供了令人鼓舞的结果，调查了阿育吠陀的治疗潜力，特别是其抗抑郁作用。在分子水平上，临床前和临床证据表明，这种酿造物具有复杂的药理学特征，包括对 5-羟色胺能、谷氨酸能、多巴胺能和内源性大麻素系统的调节。其物质还与囊泡单胺转运蛋白（VMAT）、痕量胺相关受体 1（TAAR1）和西格玛-1 受体相互作用。此外，阿育吠陀的成分似乎还能调节有益的炎症和神经营养因子的水平。在生物学水平上，这转化为神经保护和神经可塑性的作用。在这里，我们回顾了这些分子相互作用的现有知识，以及它们与阿育吠陀似乎产生的可能的抗抑郁作用之间的关系。
