Enhancement of morphine antinociception by ibogaine and noribogaine in morphine-tolerant mice.
Pharmacology – November 01, 1998
Source: PubMed
Summary
Overcoming opioid tolerance to maintain effective pain relief is a major challenge. Natural compounds ibogaine and noribogaine show promise in restoring morphine's pain-relieving power when tolerance develops. When tested in mice with established morphine tolerance, both compounds significantly boosted morphine's pain-blocking effects in a dose-dependent manner. This positive finding suggests a valuable strategy to improve pain management for individuals experiencing reduced opioid effectiveness.
Abstract
The effects of ibogaine, an alkaloid isolated form the bark of the African shrub, Tabernathe iboga, and noribogaine, a metabolite of ibogaine, on morphine antinociception were determined in male Swiss-Webster mice. Mice were rendered tolerant to morphine by implanting them with a pellet containing 25 mg of morphine base for 3 days. Placebo pellet-implanted mice served as controls. The antinociception of morphine (10 mg/kg, s.c.) was determined alone or in combination with an appropriate dose of ibogaine or noribogaine. Tolerance to morphine developed as a result of morphine pellet implantation as evidenced by decreased antinociceptive response to morphine. Both ibogaine and noribogaine dose-dependently enhanced morphine antinociception in morphine-tolerant but not in morphine-naive mice. It is concluded that ibogaine and noribogaine enhance morphine antinociception in morphine-tolerant mice.