Effects of the plant-derived hallucinogen salvinorin A on basal dopamine levels in the caudate putamen and in a conditioned place aversion assay in mice: agonist actions at kappa opioid receptors.
Psychopharmacology May 1, 2005 Yong Zhang, Eduardo R Butelman, Stefan D Schlussman et al. 198 citations
Salvinorin A, a hallucinogen from Salvia divinorum, is a potent kappa opioid receptor agonist. In mice, higher doses (1.0 and 3.2 mg/kg) significantly decreased dopamine levels in the caudate putamen but not in the nucleus accumbens, an effect blocked by a kappa opioid receptor antagonist. These same doses caused conditioned place aversion and reduced locomotor activity. The findings suggest that salvinorin A's reduction of striatal dopamine may contribute to its aversive and motor-suppressing effects, consistent with its in vitro characterization as a kappa opioid receptor agonist.