5-Methoxy- and 5-hydroxy-indolealkylamines in the skin ofBufo alvarius

Erspamer, V.; Vitali, T; Roseghini, M.; Cei, José Miguel Alfredo María

doi:10.1007/bf02138956

Cited by 23 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…B. Alvarius contains the enzyme O-methyl-transferase, which converts bufotenin (5-OH-DMT) to the potent hallucinogen 5-methoxydimethyl-tryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) ( 36 ). The skin contains some indolealkylamines and their metabolites belonging to the common series of 5-hydroxy-indolealkylamines (e.g., bufotenin) and to the less common series of 5-methoxyindolealkylamines (e.g., O-methyl-bufotenin) ( 37 , 56 , 57 ). In addition, its skin contains also sulfur-containing indolealkylamines (e.g., bufoviridine).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psychedelic Fauna for Psychonaut Hunters: A Mini-Review

et al. 2018

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Currently different classes of psychoactive substances are easily available for abuse, including several hundred novel psychoactive substances (NPS). Some of these drugs occur naturally in plants and animals or are chemically modified from plant or animal compounds and have been abused by humans over millennia. Recently, the occurrence of a new “drug culture” (e.g., psychonauts) who consume a great variety of NPS with hallucinogenic/psychedelic properties, facilitated the development of a new “psychedelic trend” toward the consumption of substances contained in some species of animals (“psychedelic fauna”). The present review aims at providing an overview of the most commonly abused “psychedelic animals,” by combining a dual search strategy coming from online psychonauts' experiences and English literature searches on the PubMed/Medline Google Scholar databases. A multilingual qualitative assessment on a range of websites and online resources was performed in order to identify a list of animals who possess some psychoactive properties and could be abused by humans for recreational purposes. Several species are implicated (i.e., ants, amphibians, fish). Routes of administration depend on the animal, substance included, metabolism, toxicity and individual, social and cultural variability. Online purchase and access are easy through tourism-related search strategies (“frog trip,” “help of charmer snake,” “religious trip”).

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, its name originates from the Bufo genus of toads that secrete bufotoxins from their parotid glands ( 33 , 52 ). Bufotenin is chemically like the psychedelic psilocin (4-HO-DMT), 5-MeO-DMT, and DMT ( 36 , 56 , 57 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychedelic Fauna for Psychonaut Hunters: A Mini-Review

et al. 2018

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“…In additions to its relatively widespread phytochemical distribution, it is present in high concentrations in the venom of Incilius alvarius (known as the Sonoran Desert toad), an Amphibia which produces significant amounts of 5-Meo-DMT in its numerous parotoid glands as a defensive chemical mechanism against predators (Erspamer, Vitali, Roseghini, & Cei, 1965;Hutchinson & Savitzky, 2004). The salience of toad symbolism in Mesoamerican art and mythology is remarkable and well documented by anthropologists and toad effigies (with oftentimes accentuated glands) are prominent in the historical remains of the Mayan and Aztec cultures (Davis & Weil, 1992).…”

Section: -Meo-dmt: An Endogenous Catalyst For Creativitymentioning

confidence: 99%

5-Methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine: An Ego-Dissolving Endogenous Neurochemical Catalyst of Creativity

Germann

2019

Act Nerv Super

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5-Methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (acronymized as 5-MeO-DMT) is sui generis among the numerous naturally-occurring psychoactive substances due to its unparalleled ego-dissolving effects which can culminate in a state of nondual consciousness (which is phenomenologically similar to transformative peak experiences described in various ancient contemplative traditions, e.g., Advaita Vedānta, Mahāyāna Buddhism). The enigmatic molecule is endogenous to the human brain and has profound psychological effects which are hitherto only very poorly understood due to the absence of scientifically controlled human experimental trials. Its exact neuronal receptor binding profile is a matter of ongoing scientific research, however, its remarkable psychoactivity is presumably mediated via agonism of the 5-HT2A (serotonin) receptor subtype. Anthropological/ethnopharmacological evidence indicates that various cultures utilized 5-MeO-DMT containing plants for medicinal, psychological, and spiritual purposes for millennia. In this paper we argue that this naturally occurring serotonergic compound could be fruitfully utilized as a neurochemical research tool which has the potential to significantly advance our understanding of the cognitive and neuronal processes which underpin cognition and creativity (downregulation of the default-mode network, increased neuronal functional connectivity, etc.). An eclectic interdisciplinary perspective is adopted, and we present converging evidence from a plurality of sources in support of this conjecture. Specifically, we suggest that 5-MeO-DMT has great potential in this respect due to its incommensurable capacity to completely disintegrate self-referential cognitive/neuronal processes (viz., "ego death"). The importance of unbiased systematic scientific research on naturally occurring endogenous psychoactive compounds is discussed from a Jamesian radical empiricism perspective and potential scenarios of abuse are discussed (particularly in the context of military torture).

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“…Compared with other amphibian families, the family Bufonidae represents a rich source of indole alkaloids (Cei et al, 1968;Roseghini et al, 1986). Remarkably, one gram of parotoid gland from Incilius alvarius (Girard, 1859) (Bufo alvarius) can contain as much as 160 mg of 5-methoxy-bufotenine (104) (Erspamer et al, 1965 have indole alkaloids are regarded to be, in general, of less concern (Table S-1). The indole alkaloid profiles among genera are different (Ceriotti et al, 1989) (Erspamer, 1959).…”

Section: Indole Alkaloids 61 Occurrence and Sourcementioning

confidence: 99%

Toxins and pharmacologically active compounds from species of the family Bufonidae (Amphibia, Anura)

Rodríguez

Rollins‐Smith

Ibáñez

et al. 2017

Journal of Ethnopharmacology

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In this article, the traditional uses, toxicity and pharmacological potential of chemical compounds from bufonids have been summarized. In spite of being reported to be used to treat several diseases, neither extracts nor metabolites from bufonids have been tested in such illness like acne, osteoporosis, arthritis and other illnesses. However, the cytotoxicity of these metabolites needs to be evaluated on adequate animal models due to the limited conditions of in vitro assays. Novel qualitative and quantitative tools based on MS spectrometry and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy is now available to study the complex secretions of bufonids.

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5-Methoxy- and 5-hydroxy-indolealkylamines in the skin ofBufo alvarius

Cited by 23 publications

References 7 publications

Psychedelic Fauna for Psychonaut Hunters: A Mini-Review

Psychedelic Fauna for Psychonaut Hunters: A Mini-Review

5-Methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine: An Ego-Dissolving Endogenous Neurochemical Catalyst of Creativity

Toxins and pharmacologically active compounds from species of the family Bufonidae (Amphibia, Anura)

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