The antinociceptive effect of salvinorin A in mice.
European journal of pharmacology September 18, 2006 Trentini F John, Larry G French, Joseph S Erlichman 76 citations
Salvinorin A, the active compound in the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum, produces pain relief in mice by activating the kappa-opioid receptor. Injecting salvinorin A into the spinal cord increased tail-flick latencies, a measure of pain tolerance, in a dose-dependent manner (13.9-23.1 nmol). Blocking the kappa-opioid receptor with nor-binaltorphimine eliminated this effect, while blocking mu- or delta-opioid receptors did not. This confirms that salvinorin A is a non-alkaloidal agonist for the kappa-opioid receptor, suggesting a potential avenue for novel pain relief strategies.