Behavioral characterization of ayahuasca treatment on Wistar rats in the open field test

Abstract

Ayahuasca (AYA) is a pre-Colombian entheogenic tea originally used in shamanic rituals by the Amazon Amerindian population for combined spiritual and medical purposes (McKenna, 2004). In recent decades, it has also been used in neo-shamanic rituals by the urban population in South America and western countries (Labate, Feeney, 2012). Robust evidence from heterogeneous studies indicates that AYA use may enhance psychological well-being and prevent-or even treat-mood, anxiety, and substance-use disorders (Carbonaro, Gatch, 2016;Dos Santos et al., 2016;Palhano-Fontes et al., 2019).Most commonly, AYA is produced from the decoction of two Amazonian plants: Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis. The first has plentiful β-carbolines such as harmine, tetrahydroharmine, and harmaline, which have potent monoaminoxidase-inhibiting effects (McKenna, 2004). The second has a significant quantity of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a serotonin agonist (5-HT1A/2A/2C) with powerful hallucinogenic properties (Carbonaro, Gatch, 2016).The mechanism of action of these β-carbolines and DMT involves the inhibition of monoaminoxidase, which simultaneously increases levels of endogenous