Bufotenine: toward an understanding of possible psychoactive mechanisms.
Journal of psychoactive drugs January 1, 2000 M C Mcbride 71 citations
Bufotenine shows activity similar to LSD, psilocin, and 5-MeO-DMT at serotonin receptors 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C, which are linked to hallucinogenic effects. Computer modeling indicates bufotenine can bind and activate these receptors. The lack of classic hallucinogenic response in human experiments likely results from poor blood-brain barrier penetration, not from failure to activate brain receptors. Under certain physiological conditions, similar drugs that normally do not cross the blood-brain barrier can enter the brain. While direct human evidence of hallucinogenic activity is absent, these factors suggest possible psychoactivity, and updated experimental models are proposed to test bufotenine's hallucinogenic potential.