Anti-addiction Drug Ibogaine Prolongs the Action Potential in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes.
Cardiovascular toxicology April 1, 2017 Lena Rubi, Daniel Eckert, Stefan Boehm et al. 18 citations
The anti-addiction drug ibogaine and its main metabolite noribogaine slow action potential repolarization in human heart cells, providing the first experimental proof that ibogaine poses a risk of cardiac arrhythmias for humans. Using whole-cell patch clamp recordings on human ventricular-like cardiomyocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, therapeutic concentrations of both substances significantly retarded repolarization. This explains the delayed incidence of cardiac adverse events observed several days after ibogaine intake. The findings suggest that ibogaine may prolong the QT interval in the electrocardiogram, leading to life-threatening arrhythmias and sudden death.