Acta Pharm. 68 (2018) 485-495
Original research paper
Catha edulis
active principle, cathinone, suppresses motor coordination, accelerates the anxiety and alters the levels of dopamine and its metabolites in the limbic areas
of male Swiss albino mice
MOHAMMED M. SAFHI, MOHAMMAD FIROZ ALAM, GULRANA KHUWAJA, SOHAIL HUSSAIN,
MOHAMMED HAKEEM SIDDIQUI, FARAH ISLAM, IBRAHIM KHARDALI, RASHAD MOHAMMED
AL-SANOSI, HASSAN A. ALHAZMI, ANDLEEB KHAN and FAKHRUL ISLAM
1 Neuroscience and
Toxicology Unit, College of Pharmacy, Jazan
University, Ministry of Education, Jazan, Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia
2 Poison Control and Medical Forensic Chemistry Center, Ministry of
Health, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
3 Substance Abuse
Research Center, Jazan University, Ministry of
Education, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Accepted June 21, 2018
Published online September
24, 2018
Cathinone, the active principle of khat (Catha edulis), stimulates, excites and produces euphoric feelings in khat users. Locomotor and rearing activities, either individual or in groups, of male Swiss albino mice were decreased significantly compared to the control. Motor coordination tests (rotarod, rope climb and grip tests) have shown decreased motor performance in the mice treated with cathinone compared to the control. The elevated plus maze test has shown significant anxiety in the mice compared to the control. Contents of dopamine and its metabolite, homovanillic acid, were increased in the limbic areas compared to the control group. In contrast, contents of 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid were depleted significantly and dose dependently compared to the control group in the limbic areas of mice. In conclusion, natural cathinone has depleted motor coordination, accelerated anxiety in mice and altered the contents of dopamine and its metabolites.
Keywords: cathinone, mice, behavioral
activities, dopamine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid, homovanillic acid,
limbic area