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eCAM Advance Access published online on February 2, 2009
eCAM, doi:10.1093/ecam/nep002
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© 2009 The Author(s).
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Alstonine as an Antipsychotic: Effects on Brain Amines and Metabolic Changes

Viviane M. Linck1,2, Ana P. Herrmann1, Ângelo L. Piato1,2, Bernardo C. Detanico1, Micheli Figueiró1, Jorge Flório3, Maurice M. Iwu4,5, Christopher O. Okunji4,5, Mirna B. Leal1 and Elaine Elisabetsky1,2

1Laboratório de Etnofamacologia, ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite 500/202, 90050-170, Porto Alegre, RS, 2Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil. Av. Ipiranga, 2752, 1° andar, 90610-000 Porto Alegre, RS, 3Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, USP, São Paulo-SP 05508-900, Brazil, 4International Centre for Ethnomedicine and Drug Development and 5Bioresources Development and Conservation Programme, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria

Managing schizophrenia has never been a trivial matter. Furthermore, while classical antipsychotics induce extrapyramidal side effects and hyperprolactinaemia, atypical antipsychotics lead to diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, and weight gain. Moreover, even with newer drugs, a sizable proportion of patients do not show significant improvement. Alstonine is an indole alkaloid identified as the major component of a plant-based remedy used in Nigeria to treat the mentally ill. Alstonine presents a clear antipsychotic profile in rodents, apparently with differential effects in distinct dopaminergic pathways. The aim of this study was to complement the antipsychotic profile of alstonine, verifying its effects on brain amines in mouse frontal cortex and striatum. Additionally, we examined if alstonine induces some hormonal and metabolic changes common to antipsychotics. HPLC data reveal that alstonine increases serotonergic transmission and increases intraneuronal dopamine catabolism. In relation to possible side effects, preliminary data suggest that alstonine does not affect prolactin levels, does not induce gains in body weight, but prevents the expected fasting-induced decrease in glucose levels. Overall, this study reinforces the proposal that alstonine is a potential innovative antipsychotic, and that a comprehensive understanding of its neurochemical basis may open new avenues to developing newer antipsychotic medications.

Keywords: alstonine – antipsychotic – schizophrenia – biogenic amines – antipsychotic side effects

For prints and all correspondence: Viviane M. Linck, Laboratório de Etnofamacologia, ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite 500/202, 90050-170 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Tel/Fax: 55 51 33083121; E-mail: vivilinck{at}gmail.com

Received August 4, 2008; accepted January 12, 2009


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