Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2009

Publication Source

Pharmaceutical Biology

Abstract

Microbial transformation of natural products is a well established model for mammalian metabolism. Salvinorin A, a diterpenoid isolated from the hallucinogenic mint Salvia divinorum Epling & Játiva-M (Lamiaceae), is a potent non-nitrogenous κ-opioid receptor agonist. The metabolism of salvinorin A has still not yet been well established. Thirty fungal species were screened for the ability to metabolize salvinorin A. We observed that salvinorin A undergoes fast hydrolysis of the acetate group at carbon atom C2, resulting in formation of the pharmacologically inactive product, salvinorin B. Ex vivo experiments were also performed using organelle fractions isolated from rat liver and brain. Crude tissue homogenate and individual organelles show that the primary route of salvinorin A metabolism is hydrolysis to salvinorin B. No metabolic transformation of salvinorin B was observed in these studies.

Inclusive pages

1078-1084

ISBN/ISSN

1388-0209

Document Version

Published Version

Comments

This article is provided for download in compliance with the publisher's open access policy. Permission documentation is on file.

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Volume

47

Issue

11

Peer Reviewed

yes

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