Ibogaine (IBO) is an atypical psychedelic with a complex mechanism of action. To date, the mechanisms that may underlie its anti-addictive effects are still not defined. This study aims to identify changes in gene expression induced by a single oral dose of IBO in the cortex of mice by means of a transcriptomic analysis for the first time. Our results showed significant alterations in gene expression in mouse frontal cortex samples 4 h after a single oral dose of IBO. Specifically, genes involved in hormonal pathways and synaptogenesis exhibited upregulation, while genes associated with apoptotic processes and endosomal transports showed downregulation. The findings were further corroborated through quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis. However, the validation of gene expression related to hormonal pathways did not entirely align with the transcriptomic analysis results, possibly due to the brain region from which tissue was collected. Sex differences were observed, with female mice displaying more pronounced alterations in gene expression after IBO treatment. High variability was observed across individual animals. However, this study represents a significant advancement in comprehending IBO’s molecular actions. The findings highlight the influence of IBO on gene expression, particularly on hormonal pathways, synaptogenesis, apoptotic processes, and endosomal transports. The identification of sex differences underscores the importance of considering sex as a potential factor influencing IBO’s effects. Further research to assess different time points after IBO exposure is warranted.

There is a growing interest in studying ibogaine (IBO) as a potential treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs). However, its clinical use has been hindered for mainly two reasons: First, the lack of randomized, controlled studies informing about its safety and efficacy. And second, IBO's mechanisms of action remain obscure. It has been challenging to elucidate a predominant mechanism of action responsible for its anti-addictive effects. To describe the main targets of IBO and its main metabolite, noribogaine (NOR), in relation to their putative anti-addictive effects, reviewing the updated literature available. A comprehensive search involving MEDLINE and Google Scholar was undertaken, selecting papers published until July 2022. The inclusion criteria were both theoretical and experimental studies about the pharmacology of IBO. Additional publications were identified in the references of the initial papers. IBO and its main metabolite, NOR, can modulate several targets associated with SUDs. Instead of identifying key targets, the action of IBO should be understood as a complex modulation of multiple receptor systems, leading to potential synergies. The elucidation of IBO's pharmacology could be enhanced through the application of methodologies rooted in the polypharmacology paradigm. Such approaches possess the capability to describe multifaceted patterns within multi-target drugs. IBO displays complex effects through multiple targets. The information detailed here should guide future research on both mechanistic and therapeutic studies.

Ibogaine abuse

The growing menace of ibogaine toxicity

Ibogaine attenuation of morphine withdrawal in mice: role of glutamate N-methyl- d-aspartate receptors

Fluoro-Jade and silver methods: application to the neuropathology of scrapie, a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy

Evaluation of neurodegeneration in scrapie-infected animals by selective methods that detect cellular degeneration

Iboga compounds reverse the behavioural disinhibiting and corticosterone effects of acute methamphetamine: Implications for their antiaddictive properties

Ibogaine (IBO) is an indole alkaloid from the West African shrub, Tabernanthe iboga. It is structurally related to harmaline, and both these compounds are rigid analogs of melatonin. IBO has both psychoactive and stimulant properties. In single-blind trials with humans, it ameliorated withdrawal symptoms and interrupted the addiction process. However, IBO also produced neurodegeneration of Purkinje cells and gliosis of Bergmann astrocytes in the cerebella of rats given even a single dose (100 mg/kg, ip). Here, we treated rats (n = 6 per group) with either a single ip injection of saline or with 25 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg, 75 mg/kg, or 100 mg/kg of IBO. As biomarkers of cerebellar neurotoxicity, we specifically labeled degenerating neurons and axons with silver, astrocytes with antisera to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and Purkinje neurons with antisera to calbindin. All rats of the 100-mg/kg group showed the same pattern of cerebellar damage previously described: multiple bands of degenerating Purkinje neurons. All rats of the 75-mg/ kg group had neurodegeneration similar to the 100-mg/kg group, but the bands appeared to be narrower. Only 2 of 6 rats that received 50 mg/kg were affected; despite few degenerating neuronal perikarya, cerebella from these rats did contain patches of astrocytosis similar to those observed with 75 or 100 mg/kg IBO. These observations affirm the usefulness of GFAP immunohistochemistry as a sensitive biomarker of neurotoxicity. None of the sections from the 25-mg/kg rats, however stained, were distinguishable from saline controls, indicating that this dose level may be considered as a no-observable-adverse-effect level (NOAEL).

The phenomenon of sensitization has been theoretically implicated in mediating various aspects of drug addiction. Recent dose-response studies demonstrated that pretreatment with the putative antiaddictive agent, ibogaine (IBO), and a synthetic iboga alkaloid congener, 18-methoxycoronaridine (18-MC), increase the potency of cocaine to elicit behavioral sensitization, an effect proposed to contribute, in part, to their ability to attenuate drug self-administration. As abuse of the methylated amphetamine derivative, methamphetamine (METH), is a growing public health concern, the present study determined the interactions between IBO and 18-MC and the expression of METH-induced behavioral sensitization. The effects of pretreatment with 18-MC (40 mg/kg, IP, 19 h earlier) on the expression of METH-induced locomotion (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 mg/kg, IP) and the effects of pretreatment with either IBO or 18-MC on the expression of METH-induced stereotypy (2 and 4 mg/kg, IP) were assessed in rats treated chronically with either METH (4 mg/kg daily for 7 days) or saline. Compared to vehicle-pretreated controls, 18-MC produced an overall enhancement in METH-induced locomotion in rats treated chronically, but not acutely, with METH. In addition, both iboga agents increased the stereotypic response to METH. Iboga agents augment both the locomotor and stereotypic effects of METH in a manner consistent with previous reports for cocaine. Thus, it appears that iboga agents interact in a similar manner with the neural mechanisms mediating motor hyperactivity induced by the chronic administration of stimulant drugs.

Acute ibogaine injection induces expression of the immediate early genes, egr-1 and c- fos, in mouse brain

The hydroxyindolenine 2, upon treatment with Ac2O in pyridine, rearranged into the bridged 16-spiro compound 3. Compound 3 can be considered to be a synthon of the carbocation at C(16) of ibogaine (7) since the solvolysis of 3 in EtOH/H2O gave a mixture of the 16-ethoxy- and 16-hydroxyibogaine derivatives 5 and 6, respectively.

Ibogaine (IBO) is a psychoactive indole alkaloid that has antiaddictive properties. However, treatment with IBO may lead to neurotoxicity, since IBO and its metabolites interact persistently with many neurotransmitter systems. Here, we recorded cortical electroencephalogram (EEG) signals from rats anesthetized with isoflurane. The heart rate (HR) was monitored via electrocardiogram (EKG) electrodes. After the baseline EEG was recorded, rats received one intraperitoneal (i.p.) dose of 50 mg/kg IBO. EEG signals were recorded for 2 hr. Rats were then sacrificed and brains dissected into frontal cortex (FC), caudate nucleus (CN), hippocampus (HIP), and brain stem (BS). The level of dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT), and their metabolites were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD). Compared with baseline, a decrease in HR immediately after IBO injection and a decrease in δ, θ, α, and β power spectra frequency bands (1-4, 4-8, 8-13, 13-32Hz) during the first 30 min after IBO administration was observed. EEG recovered within the next 15 min. In CN, the level of DA decreased and DA turnover rate increased significantly. The levels of 5-HT increased in FC. The pattern of EKG and EEG response to IBO may be due to multiple receptor interactions of IBO.

Ibogaine (IBO) is a naturally-occurring indole compound that is being evaluated as a potential medication for substance use disorders. Although the precise mechanism of IBO action is unclear, recent in vitro data show this drug displays properties similar to the noncompetitive N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist MK-801. The purpose of the present work was to compare In Vivo neurobiological effects of IBO and MK-801 in rats. Groups of male rats (n = 6-8/group) were decapitated 30 and 60 min after receiving intraperitoneal (i.p.) IBO (10 & 100 mg/kg), MK-801 (0.1 & 1.0 mg/kg) or vehicle. Trunk blood was collected for the analysis of plasma prolactin and corticosterone; brains were harvested and dissected for determination of dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT) and their metabolites. Both IBO and MK-801 increased corticosterone secretion, but only IBO elevated plasma prolactin. IBO produced dramatic reductions in tissue DA levels with concurrent increases in the metabolites, dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA). This profile of IBO-induced changes in DA transmission was observed in the striatum, olfactory tubercle, and hypothalamus. The effects of MK-801 on DA metabolism did not mimic IBO, as MK-801 tended to increase DA and its metabolites. Neither drug appreciably affected 5-HT systems. Our results suggest that the effects of IBO on neuroendocrine function and DA transmission are not due to MK-801-like properties of IBO. Thus, the In Vivo mechanism of IBO action cannot be explained simply on the basis of antagonism at NMDA receptors.

Neuroendocrine and neurochemical effects of acute ibogaine administration: a time course evaluation

Acute administration of high doses of ibogaine (IBG) to the male rat results in degeneration of Purkinje cells and reactive gliosis in the cerebellar vermis. We examined whether acute and chronic administration of IBG to male and female rats results in gliosis as determined by quantification of the astroglial intermediate filament protein, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). After acute administration of IBG, rats of both sexes showed dose-related increases in GFAP that were not confined to the cerebellar vermis. After chronic administration of IBG, female, but not male rats, showed large (as much as 200% of control), dose-related increases in GFAP in hippocampus, olfactory bulbs, brain stem and striatum, but not cerebellum. In hippocampus, the cytoskeletal proteins, neurofilament 68 (NF-68) and beta-tubulin were increased in females treated chronically with IBG, findings consistent with a damage-induced sprouting response. Together, the data indicate that IBG damages areas of the brain outside the cerebellum and that the sites damaged are dependent on sex and dosage regimen.

P-121 - Inhibition of Opioid Abstinent Phenomena by Ibogaine

Ibogaine neurotoxic in rodents.

C 20 H 26 N 2 O cristallise dans P2 1 2 1 2 1 avec a=10,485, b=16,892, c=19,750A, Z=8; affinement jusqu'a R=0,073. Dans les deux molecules cristallographiquement independantes, le cycle a sept chainons est dans une conformation bateau. Le plan moyen passant par les atomes C(5)-N(6)-C(19)-C(2) de l'axe central de la structure tricyclique isoquinuclidine et le plan du cycle indole sont inclines l'un par rapport a l'autre respectivement de 114,0 et 85,6° dans les molecules A et B. Stabilisation de la structure par une liaison hydrogene intramoleculaire et des forces de van der Waals.

Vincent T. Sullivan, Bernard Newman, Arnold Dihrberg, Detection and Identification of Ibogaine and Heroin, The Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology, and Police Science, Vol. 58, No. 2 (Jun., 1967), pp. 277-278