�Fresh african tea (Catha edulis) leaves have been chewed for centuries in
eastern Africa and in the Arabian Peninsula in parliamentary procedure to touch a state
of euphoria and foreplay. This is due to its main active
component, cathinone, which increases the release of catecholamines
in the brainiac, evoking an "ampthetamine-like" impression. In these
countries, qat has been traditionally exploited as a social do drugs.
However, new patterns of khat consumption are now emerging in these
countries, and the development of air expatriation has contributed
to the spread of this riding habit to the rest of the domain. Khat ontogeny,
distribution and use ar therefore seemly an international issue,
as shown by the significant press interest group in this substance.
Interestingly, fresh khat leaves prepared as an infusion in some
African countries are considered a traditional remedy for airway
diseases, but until now the precise mechanism of action underlying
this effect was unknown.
In this study, Maria Belvisi (National Heart and Lung Institute,
Imperial College School of Medicine, London, UK) and her colleagues
highlight an repressing action of this natural product on cholinergic
contractile responses of guinea pig and human airway smooth muscle,
and reveal its mechanism of action, thereby uncovering novel
therapeutic options for the treatment of airway diseases.
This survey is the first to address how khat, when used as a
traditional remedy, crapper alleviate respiratory disease symptoms. It
shows that cathinone targets both post-ganglionic, pre-junctional a2
adrenergic and 5-HT7 receptors to inhibit the release of
acetylcholine from parasympathetic nerves innervating the airways,
thereby modulating the neural control of airline business constrictor tone.
In telling this dual mechanism of action for cathinone, this study
may provide key information for the development of new treatment
options for airway diseases displaying heightened cholinergic tone,
such as bronchial asthma associated with gastro-oesophageal reflux, nocturnal
bronchial asthma or continuing obstructive pulmonic disease (COPD).
Indeed, in COPD in particular, increased parasympathetic drive is
responsible for increased bronchial smooth muscle tone and overweening
mucus production. Muscarinic antagonists (also known as anti
cholinergics, e.g. ipratropium and tiotropium) are peculiarly
effective as bronchodilators in the discussion of COPD where the vagal
tone appears to be the only reversible component of airflow limitation.
In this respect, the exploitation of new anti-cholinergic molecules
based on a mechanism of action other than antagonising muscarinic
receptors whitethorn be of particular interest in the treatment of airway
diseases with heightened cholinergic pure tone.
Therefore, cathinone, with its original double pre-junctional chemical mechanism
of action, may lead to the development of novel sanative
approaches for the treatment of such diseases.
Title Of The Original Article
Modulation of cholinergic contractions of airway politic muscle by
cathinone: potential beneficial personal effects in air duct diseases
The European Respiratory Journal is the peer-reviewed scientific publication of the European Respiratory Society (more than 8,000 specialists in lung diseases and respiratory medicine in Europe, the
United States and Australia).
European Respiratory Journal
The European Respiratory Society (ERS)
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Tuesday, 2 September 2008
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