Both legality proponents and prohibitionists claim that kratom sold in the Western marketplace by some nefarious vendors is adulterated with other drugs such as fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. But where is the evidence of this? There are confirmed cases in the scientific literature and media that we examine below of kratom being adulterated with O-desmethyltramadol, …
For a special 40th episode, Dr. Jon revisits research he led out of Tulane University in 2010 on psychoactive substance effects in zebrafish. Out of 40+ published papers from this research, we look at one focusing on zebrafish symptoms when in withdrawal from ethanol, diazepam, morphine and caffeine. We also talk about living in New …
Journal Club #40: Dr. Jon’s 2010 Zebrafish Research Read More »
In a new study by the team at University of Florida, scientists found that the metabolite 7-hydroxymitragynine does not account for the pain-relieving effects of its parent alkaloid, mitragynine (Berthold et al., 2021). Here we investigated the hotplate antinociception, pharmacokinetics, and tissue distribution of mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine at equianalgesic oral doses in…mice to determine the …
A comprehensive and detailed study in mice from University of Science, Malaysia revealed mitragynine in very high doses is an agonist (binds to and activates) cannabinoid receptor Type 1 (CB1). Mice administered with high-dose mitragynine demonstrated similar reward-seeking behavior and cognitive impairment as mice administered with morphine and THC. Mice that received high-dose mitragynine, morphine, …
Dr. Abisheak Sharma studied pharmacy and pharmacokinetics in India before coming to the United States to research under kratom expert Dr. Bonnie Avery. He now researches kratom with Dr. Christopher McCurdy at University of Florida as part of the Translational Drug Development Core. Dr. Sharma addresses the concern with kratom and other drug interactions, improved …
45. Dr. Abisheak Sharma, Pharmacokineticist and Kratom Researcher Read More »
A study on kratom’s chemical composition asks, what does the little-researched kratom alkaloid speciofoline do? And what are the implications for drug interactions and the differences in alkaloid content in kratom products? The brand new study published last week in Scientific Reports examined the chemical composition of 53 kratom products and divided them into two …
Journal Club #9: Speciofoline, the Understudied Alkaloid Read More »
This week we look at a study by a team from University of Florida called “Lyophilized Kratom Tea as a Therapeutic Option for Opioid Dependence”. The science is catching up with what thousands of kratom consumers are saying — that kratom can be a safe and effective harm reduction tool for opioid withdrawal and dependence. …
Journal Club #8: Kratom Tea for Opioid Dependence in Mice Read More »
Citation: Macko E, Weisbach JA, Douglas B. Some observations on the pharmacology of mitragynine. Archives Internationales de Pharmacodynamie et de Therapie. 1972 ;198(1):145-161. We discuss this study from 1972 that tested the effects of mitragynine in rats, mice, cats, dogs, and monkeys. Dr. Jon talks about the difference between now and then in pharmacology labs. …
Journal Club #6: 1972 Animal Study Shows the Promise of Mitragynine Read More »
Dr. Cachat and I talk about a study that tested rats with morphine, mitragynine, naloxone, buprenorphine, and rimonabant, and measured responses based on food-reinforcement training. The study concluded “The findings suggest that MG does not induce physiological dependence but can alleviate the physical symptoms associated with morphine withdrawal”. We talk about how the rats are …
Article Citation with Link to Full Text Harun N, Johari IS, Mansor SM, Shoaib M. Assessing physiological dependence and withdrawal potential of mitragynine using schedule-controlled behaviour in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2020;237(3):855-867. doi:10.1007/s00213-019-05418-6 Summary by KratomScience Rats were studied in two separate experiments: Experiment 1: Observing withdrawal in rats given morphine vs. rats given mitragynine Three …
