Cathine

Amphetamine derivatives are used worldwide legally or illegally and intoxications may be accompanied by cardiac arrhythmias. Here, we tested contractile effects of cumulative applied (±)-amphetamine, pseudoephedrine, nor-pseudoephedrine (cathine) and cathinone in electrically stimulated (1 Hz) human right atrial preparations (HAP) and mouse left atrial preparations (LA) as well as in spontaneously beating mouse right atrial preparations (RA). In mouse atrial preparations, amphetamine increased force of contraction and beating rate in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, starting at 1 µM in LA to 157...

Khat ( Catha edulis ) is an evergreen shrub whose buds and leaves give a state of delight and euphoria when chewed. Cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant that is among the active ingredients in khat, is able to downregulate glutamate transporter subtype I (GLT-1). Neurobehavioral dysfunctions such as altered locomotor activity, anorexia, and nociception have been observed in animals exposed to cathinone. Interestingly, treatment with a β-lactam antibiotic such as ceftriaxone, which upregulates GLT-1, normalizes cathinone-induced conditioned place preference, and alters repetitive movements in rats...

BACKGROUND: Khat is a huge, evergreen tree that grows at high altitudes throughout the Arabian Peninsula and in the region stretching from eastern to southern Africa. Cathinone, cathine, and norephedrine are psychoactive ingredients contained in khat. Ethiopian teenagers, especially those in secondary school, frequently use khat. This use of khat may lead to students frequently missing class and experiencing subpar academic performance. However, the study area lacks information regarding the prevalence of khat use and the factors associated with it...

Interpreting fatalities involving khat is challenging due to a lack of data on cathinone and cathine reference concentrations in postmortem tissues. This study investigated the autopsy findings and toxicological results of fatalities involving khat in Saudi Arabia's Jazan region from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2021. All confirmed cathine and cathinone results in postmortem blood, urine, brain, liver, kidney, and stomach samples were recorded and analyzed. Autopsy findings and the manner and cause of death of the deceased were assessed...

In the current work, an enantioselective imprinting technique was used to develop a very selective adsorbent for the (+)-cathine ((+)-Cat) enantiomer. The phenolic sulfonamide produced from 2,4-dihydroxybenzenesulfonic acid (HBS) and (+)-Cat ((+)-Cat-HBS) was initially synthesized by triphenylphosphene activation and subsequently involved in condensation polymerization with resorcinol in the presence of formaldehyde under acidic conditions. Alkaline sulfonamide bond-breaking was subsequently employed to separate the (+)-Cat template from the polymer, and the resulting imprinted resin ((+)-CIP) displayed high selectivity for the (+)-Cat, with a capacity of 225 ± 2 mg/g...

OBJECTIVES: Catha edulis (Vahl) Forssk. ex Endl. (Khat) is a stimulant plant that contains cathine and cathinone, which its abuses induce euphoria, alertness, and motor activity. Since the toxicokinetics of these substances remain unclear, this study was carried out to investigate the disposition kinetics of cathine and cathinone, the neurotransmitter profile, following a single dose of C. edulis extract in rats. METHODS: Twenty-four adult male Wistar albino rats (250-300 g) were randomly selected and divided into six groups of four rats each...

Alpha-pyrrolidinoisohexanophenone (α-PHiP/α-PiHP) is a synthetic drug structurally related to cathine, a natural psychoactive alkaloid, isolated from Khat plant. The α-PiHP is a structural isomer of α-PHP and both α-PHP and α-PiHP could be considered as an analogue of α-PVP, a Schedule I drug under the Convention on Psychotropic Substances by the United Nations. This α-pyrrolidinophenone was first reported to EMCDDA by Slovenia in December 2016. In Hungary it was initially reported in August 2016 and until 2021 it had been detected in seizures only twice and never been identified in biological samples...

BACKGROUND: Upper eyelid blepharoplasty surgery is one of the most common plastic surgeries. Khat is used topically to reduce tissue edema. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of topical khat administration after eyelid surgery on postoperative healing. METHODS: Our prospective comparative study included 24 patients who underwent upper eyelid blepharoplasty or ptosis surgery between 2019 and 2020. Patients were randomly assigned to 48 hours of cold dressing with frozen khat leaves and frozen peas dressing (common practice)...

Underreporting of infectious diseases is a pervasive challenge in public health that has emerged as a central issue in characterizing the dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic. Infectious diseases are underreported for a range of reasons, including mild or asymptomatic infections, weak public health infrastructure, and government censorship. In this study, we investigated factors associated with cross-country and cross-pathogen variation in reporting. We performed a literature search to collect estimates of empirical reporting rates, calculated as the number of cases reported divided by the estimated number of true cases...

Flower of Citrus aurantium L. var. amara Engl. (CAVA) has been confirmed to have promising anti-obesity effects. However, the regulation of alkaloid extracts from flower of CAVA (Al) on lipid metabolism remain unknown. In this study, Al was optimized by ultrasound-assisted extraction using response surface methodology. The optimal conditions were ultrasonic time 72 min, ethanol concentration 78% and liquid/solid ratio 30 ml/g with the maximum alkaloid yield 5.66%. LC-MS assay indicated that the alkaloid compounds were enriched in Al after optimization...

Cathine is the stable form of cathinone, the major active compound found in khat ( Catha edulis Forsk ) plant. Khat was found to inhibit major phase I drug metabolizing cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme activities in vitro and in vivo . With the upsurge of khat consumption and the potential use of cathine to combat obesity, efforts should be channelled into understanding potential cathine-drug interactions, which have been rather limited. The present study aimed to assess CYPs activity and inhibition by cathine in a high-throughput in vitro fluorescence-based enzyme assay and molecular docking analysis to identify how cathine interacts within various CYPs' active sites...

Khat is a stimulant plant that contains stimulant chemicals such as cathine and cathinone, which abuses to induce euphoria, alertness, and motor activity. This study was carried out to determine the pharmacokinetic and distributions of cathine and cathinone following a single dosage of khat extract in rats. Practically, a total of 24 adult male Wistar albino rats aged between 8 and 12 weeks (250-300 g weight) were randomly selected and divided into six groups 4 rats each. After a single dosage (2000 mg/kg body weight) administered by oral gavage, each group was sacrifice at specific time that schedules to be 0...

OBJECTIVES: Khat ( Catha edulis ) is a stimulant plant, and it is abusive to induce euphoria, alertness and activity. Concomitant use of medications and khat chewing predisposes to the appearance of drug interactions result in treatment failure or toxicity. This study determined the changes in the urinary inorganic profile in adult healthy males who are chewing khat compared with non-khat chewer males. METHODS: A total of 40 adult non-smoker healthy males (20 khat chewer and 20 non-khat chewer) aged 24-30 years were selected...

BACKGROUND: Although psychostimulants apparently do cross the BBB, it is poorly understood how these hydrophilic and positively charged molecules can pass the blood-brain barrier (BBB). That may be mediated by a genetically still uncharacterized H+ /OC antiporter with high activity at the BBB. METHODS: We studied the uptake of 16 psychostimulants and hallucinogens with hCMEC/D3 cells using the prototypic inhibitor imipramine (cis-inhibition), exchange transport with diphenhydramine and clonidine (trans-stimulation), proton dependency of the uptake, and we characterized the concentration-dependent uptake...

Khat ( Catha edulis (Vahl) Endl.) is an evergreen flowering shrub used as a stimulant in many regions worldwide including East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Europe, and the United States. Chewing leaves of khat induces excitement and euphoria, which are primarily attributed to two major constituents, cathinone and cathine. Khat also contains other important constituents such as cathedulins. A considerable number of studies reported side effects induced by the khat extracts to both embryos and adults. These include teratogenicity and developmental retardation, oral cancer and ulcers, high blood pressure, and myocardial infarction...

The proliferation of composite data sources tracking the COVID-19 pandemic emphasises the need for such databases during large-scale infectious disease events as well as the potential pitfalls due to the challenges of combining disparate data sources. Multiple organisations have attempted to standardise the compilation of disparate data from multiple sources during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, each composite data source can use a different approach to compile data and address data issues with varying results...

OBJECTIVES: Khat ( Catha edulis ) is a stimulant plant, and it is abusive to induce euphoria, alertness and activity. Concomitant use of medications and khat chewing predisposes to the appearance of drug interactions result in treatment failure or toxicity. This study determined the changes in the urinary inorganic profile in adult healthy males who are chewing khat compared with non-khat chewer males. METHODS: A total of 40 adult non-smoker healthy males (20 khat chewer and 20 non-khat chewer) aged 24-30 years were selected...

Khat or qat (Catha edulis) is a flowering plant with an Arabic name قات, regularly named as qāt, also is known by various descriptive names, such as Abyssinian tea, Somali tea, Arabian tea, Miraa, Jima, and Kafta in its endemic regions of the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Fresh leaves and tops of khat are chewed or dried and consumed as a tea to attain a state of euphoria and excitement; it also has appetite-reducing effects. Traditionally, khat is used as a socializing habit in Yemen and is also widely cultivated because of its high income...

In this investigation, potential inhibitors of α-amylase, one of the key regulatory enzymes in diabetes were characterized from the methanolic extract of Leucas ciliata Benth. (Lamiaceae), a traditional medicinal plant of the Western Ghats, southern India and the ethyl acetate extract of Streptomyces longisporoflavus (JX965948), an endophytic actinomycete isolated from the stem fragments of L. ciliata , by Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) technique followed by molecular docking studies. Forty-four compounds were detected in the solvent extracts of the host plant and the endophyte, respectively...

The consumption of Khat leaves represents an ancient kind of drug abuse mainly observed in Eastern Africa and the Arab Peninsula among adult men. For this purpose, the leaves are directly collected from the shrub "Catha edulis" prior to extensive chewing process. Seizures in Europe are rare, since the leaves have to undergo quick transportation: After a short period of time, the harvested leaves decompose and suffer in decrease of concentration of the active ingredient cathinone, which makes long term transportation difficult...