pharmacology

Kratom Could Reduce Alcohol Consumption, Say Scientists

The alkaloid speciogynine may be a starting point for low-risk treatment Self-reports of kratom use as an alcohol substitute exist online, though they have not been as well documented in the scientific literature as other motivations for kratom use, such as substitution for opiates (Smith et al, 2023). In one survey of US residents, 18% …

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Journal Club #37: Kratom and Diabetes Study from Thailand

Journal Club with Dr. Jonathan Cachat
Journal Club with Dr. Jonathan Cachat
Journal Club #37: Kratom and Diabetes Study from Thailand
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Dr. Jon starts off talking about the art show that took place in October 2022 at the new Cannabis Museum in Athens Ohio. Then we cover a study out of Thailand on kratom’s effects on alpha-glucosidase and lipase, enzymes that are inhibited by medications for the treatment of diabetes. We see how kratom and mitragynine …

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Is it a good idea to make a 7-hydroxymitragynine based drug?

A Vancouver drug company announced that it has filed a patent for a deuterated form of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-HMG) called D7-h. The company, Nirvana Life Sciences Inc., intends to pursue D7-h as a pain relieving drug, citing 7-HMG’s partial opioid agonism, and the deuteration process that they say makes the drug last longer. A deuterated drug …

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Possible causes of kratom-related liver toxicities and deaths

Herb-induced liver injury (HILI) is “a rare adverse reaction associated with the consumption of herbal products”. A review published in 2020 found 12,068 cases of herb-induced liver injury worldwide, as well as 46,266 cases of liver injury induced by the use of drugs (Teschke et al., 2021). Herbal and dietary supplements contribute to 20% of …

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Interview with Dr. Christopher McCurdy and Dr. Brian Pearson on the History and Future of Kratom Plant Science and Pharmacology

This interview is a transcript of Kratom Science Podcast #69 Kratom Science: I want to start off with Dr. McCurdy. You were originally with University of Mississippi. That university is known for the only federally legal cannabis farm. You started to study kratom around 2004, and I’m just wondering how you became interested in kratom? …

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Study: Mitragynine does not rely on its metabolism into 7-hydroxymitragynine to produce pain relieving effects

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 …

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Interview with Dr. Fabian Pitter Steinmetz on Toxicology and Advocacy by Scientists for Better Drug Policy

Dr. Fabian Pitter Steinmetz is a toxicologist from Germany who in 2021 testified for the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 44th Expert Committee on Drug Dependence (ECDD). There, Dr. Steinmetz gave the case for why kratom should be kept legal. As a member for the European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies (ENCOD), he is …

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Interview with Dr. Lance McMahon, Chair of Dept of Pharmacodynamics, UF College of Pharmacy

Dr. Lance McMahon is Chair of the Department of Pharmacodynamics at University of Florida College of Pharmacy. Dr. McMahon is involved in pioneering kratom research that looks at the various kratom alkaloids, how they function on our brain receptors, and how that creates kratom’s complex effects on our bio. We talk about this research, where …

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Journal Club #22: Accelerated Solvent Extracts of Kratom

Journal Club with Dr. Jonathan Cachat
Journal Club with Dr. Jonathan Cachat
Journal Club #22: Accelerated Solvent Extracts of Kratom
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Neuroscientist Dr. Jon Cachat and host Brian Gallagher look at a study from University of Science in Malaysia that studies kratom extracts using various solvents: water, methanol, ethanol, and ethyl acetate. The technique they use, accelerated solvent extracting, uses less time and a lower amount of solvent for a safer and more environmentally friendly extraction …

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Inteview with Pharmacokineticist and Kratom Researcher Dr. Abhisheak Sharma

For audio of this interview as well as studies cited here see Kratom Science Podcast #45 KratomScience: You have your background in pharmacokinetics. What made you interested in going into that field? Dr. Abhisheak Sharma: So basically I did my PhD in 2015 and I moved to the States to do my post-doctoral studies with …

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