Behavioural effects of cathinone, an amine obtained from Catha edulis Forsk.: comparisons with amphetamine, norpseudoephedrine, apomorphine and nomifensine

The effect of khat (Catha edulis Forsk., family Celastraceae), a plant used for its stimulant effects in eastern Africa and southern Arabia, has until recently been attributed to the pharmacological action of d-norpseudoephedrine, also known as cathine. The isolation in 1975 of cathinone revived an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bulletin on narcotics 1980, Vol.32 (3), p.67-81
Main Authors: Zelger, J L, Schorno, H X, Carlini, E A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alkaloids - pharmacology
Amphetamine - pharmacology
Animals
Apomorphine - pharmacology
Appetite Depressants - pharmacology
Catecholamines - secretion
Catha
Haloperidol - pharmacology
Humans
Male
Mice
Motor Activity - drug effects
Nomifensine - pharmacology
Phenylpropanolamine - pharmacology
Plant Extracts - pharmacology
Rats
Reserpine - pharmacology
Stereotyped Behavior - drug effects
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Summary:The effect of khat (Catha edulis Forsk., family Celastraceae), a plant used for its stimulant effects in eastern Africa and southern Arabia, has until recently been attributed to the pharmacological action of d-norpseudoephedrine, also known as cathine. The isolation in 1975 of cathinone revived an earlier suggestion that the fresh leaves contained a substance more potent than cathine. The pharmacological assays reported on in this paper appear to confirm the higher stimulant capacity of cathinone. This substance produces qualitatively similar locomotor stimulation in mice and comparable stereotypy in rats as amphetamine does, although it is approximately half as active. The results obtained after pre-treatment with reserpine or alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine, which interfere with the catecholamine system, strongly suggest that cathinone interacts with brain catecholamines by an indirect mechanism and, most probably, by affecting neurotransmitter release of the labile pool.
ISSN:0007-523X