Klinische und experimentelle Beiträge zur Pharmakologie des Harmins

The β-Carbolines (Harmanes) - A New Class of Endogenous Compounds:

“…However, even these assumptions cannot be verified at present. For example, ingestion of harmine leads to bradycardia (58,61,105). In our own experimentation with animals we observed antidopaminergic properties in THN, 6-0H-THN and harmane that would tend to make the therapeutic effectivity of these substances in the treatment of Morbus Parkinson even more inscrutable (43,69,80,81).…”

“…Other authors have reported an euphoric effect of harmine (54,58). A further similarity between the effects following the consumption of alcoholic beverages and harmane is the lowering of the threshold for seizures under certain conditions.…”

“…20-30 mg s.c. already lead to arbitrary palpitation and tremors. Marinesco et al (58) discovered as a constant among all of the patients they studied a slight euphoria; they feIt "light and in a good mood". In 1928 Beringer pointed to the fact that harmine was administered with particular success in the treatment of post-encephalic Parkinson (10).…”

“…One possibility is the inhibition of monoamine oxidase by these substances (71,97). It is also probable that their anticholinergic properties playa role in this context (58). However, even these assumptions cannot be verified at present.…”

In Vitro Studies on the Effect of β‐Carbolines on the Activities of Acetylcholinesterase and Choline Acetyltransferase and on the Muscarinic Receptor Binding of the Rat Brain

“…It is well known that some p-carbolines elicit hallucinations (Naranjo, 1967), euphoria, and excitation (Lewin, 1928;Marinesco et al, 1937) in humans. They exert many neuropharmacological actions (cf.…”