Phytochemical characterization of Tabernanthe iboga root bark and its effects on dysfunctional metabolism and cognitive performance in high-fat-fed C57BL/6J mice
Journal of Food Bioactives September 30, 2018 Bayissi Bading-Taïka, Tunde Akinyeke, Armando Alcazar Magana et al. 14 citations
Root bark of the African shrub Tabernanthe iboga has been used in traditional medicine for fatigue, ritual neuro-stimulation, and diabetes treatment. Its main alkaloid, ibogaine, is known for reducing opioid craving. Using metabolomics, researchers identified five phenolic compounds and 30 alkaloids in the water extract, seven alkaloids previously unreported from the root bark. In male mice fed a high-fat diet for 10 weeks to induce metabolic syndrome, supplementing the diet with low or high doses of iboga extract did not improve increased body weight, plasma glucose, lipids, insulin, leptin, or most inflammatory markers. Only the low dose reduced the inflammatory mediator MCP-1. The high dose impaired spatial learning and memory in water maze tests, suggesting negative effects on cognition.