A method using high performance liquid chromatography to quantify LSD in blotter papers seized in Minas Gerais was optimized and validated. The method showed linearity between 0.05 and 20.00 μg/mL, with satisfactory precision (intra-assay relative standard deviation 4.4%, inter-assay 6.4%) and mean recoveries of 83.4% and 84.9% at two concentration levels. Detection and quantification limits were 0.01 and 0.05 μg/mL, respectively. Analysis of 22 seized blotters found a mean of 67.55 μg of LSD per blotter (relative standard deviation 27.5%). The method demonstrated satisfactory analytical performance and is suitable for determining LSD in illicit samples.
Ayahuasca, a psychoactive beverage used in religious rituals, contains dimethyltryptamine and harmala alkaloids that activate serotonergic pathways. In mice, ayahuasca alone reduced pain in writhing and formalin tests and boosted morphine's analgesic effect on the hot plate test. It intensified propofol's depressant effect in the rotarod test but shortened propofol-induced sleeping time. These findings indicate interactions between ayahuasca and both morphine and propofol, likely through pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic mechanisms.
Ayahuasca, a psychedelic beverage with potential therapeutic effects for mood and anxiety disorders, was tested in Wistar rats using oral gavage and the open field test. Rats received doses of 125, 250, or 500 mg/kg or a control treatment. Ayahuasca did not interfere with habituation. The highest dose group spent less time in the center of the open field and made fewer crossings during the last 10 minutes of the 40-minute test, suggesting behavioral effects emerged only after 30 to 40 minutes. The findings highlight that observation timing, duration, and dosage are important factors in open field studies of ayahuasca's acute effects.