Ayahuasca and Its DMT- and β-carbolines – Containing Ingredients Block the Expression of Ethanol-Induced Conditioned Place Preference in Mice: Role of the Treatment Environment
Frontiers in Pharmacology May 29, 2018 Elisangela Gouveia Cata-Preta, Yasmim A. Serra, Eliseu Da Cruz Moreira-Junior et al. 50 citations
Ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic beverage containing DMT and β-carbolines, can reduce ethanol reward in male mice without itself being rewarding at certain doses. An intermediate dose of ayahuasca induced conditioned place preference (CPP), while higher doses and its plant components Banisteriopsis caapi (Bc) and Psychotria viridis (Pv) did not. Pretreatment with ayahuasca blocked the development of ethanol-induced CPP, whereas Bc and Pv alone had no effect. Post-conditioning treatment with ayahuasca, Bc, or Pv in the ethanol-paired environment blocked expression of ethanol-induced CPP; treatment in the saline-paired compartment also blocked expression for intermediate ayahuasca and Bc doses, and for Pv. The environment influences these therapeutic effects.