18 Methoxycoronaridine, a Nontoxic Iboga Alkaloid Congener: Effects on Morphine and Cocaine Self Administration and on Mesolimbic Dopamine Release in Rats. Glick, S.D., Kuehne, M.E., Maisonneuve, I.M., Bandarage, U.K. and Molinari, H.H. Brain Res 719:29-35, 1996.
Abstract: Ibogaine,
a naturally occurring iboga alkaloid, has been claimed to be effective
in treating addiction to opioids and stimulants, and has been
reported to inhibit morphine and cocaine self- administration
in rats. However, ibogaine also has acute nonspecific side effects
(e.g. tremors, decreased motivated behavior in general) as well
as neurotoxic effects (Purkinje cell loss) manifested in the vermis
of the cerebellum. 18- Methoxycoronaridine (MC) is a novel, synthetic
iboga alkaloid congener that mimics ibogaine's effects on drug
self- administration without appearing to have ibogaine's other
adverse effects. Acutely, in rats, MC decreased morphine and cocaine
self- administration but did not affect bar-press responding for
water. In some rats, treatment with MC (40 mg/kg) induced prolonged
decreases in morphine or cocaine intake lasting several days or
weeks. MC had no apparent tremorigenic effect, and there was no
evidence of cerebellar toxicity after a high dose (100 mg/kg)
of MC. Similar to the effects of ibogaine and other iboga alkaloids
that inhibit drug self-administration, MC (40 mg/kg) decreased
extracellular levels of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. MC
therefore appears to be a safer, ibogaine- like agent that might
be useful in the treatment of addictive disorders
© 1997The Ibogaine Dossier