Plants and Pain Flashcards

1
Q

examples of a hallucinogen

A

Psilocibin= mushrooms - and is a serotonin agonist

Ayahuasca
-DMT
-monoamine oxidase inhibitor (increase synaptic serotonin levels)

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2
Q

examples of stimulants

A

coca leaves
-dopamine reuptake inhibitor ( increases synaptic dopamine levels)

tobacco
-stay awake, learn, remember
-cholinergic agonist at nicotinic receptors

coffee bean
-adenosine receptor antagonist

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3
Q

what properties of these plants are the most important?

A

analgesic properties

since the beginning of time we have sought this out, reduction of pain and we have derived these effects from botanical compounds

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4
Q

examples of analgesic drugs derived from plants:

A

salicylic acid (Aspirin) –> from the willow tree

opiates–> morphine, opium, thebaine

cannabis

capsaicin–> chemical ingredient in chilli pepper, topical cream for pain

menthol–> cooling properties

salvinorin–> compound, atypical opioid agonist with psychedelic effects

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5
Q

primary afferents

A

sensory neurons in the periphery (skin, organs)

ones that detect pain are called nociceptors –> there are also touch and temperature

there are two classes of primary afferents : A fibers and C fibers

from skin to spinal cord

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6
Q

A fibers

A

touch, warm temperature

myelinated (fast conducting)

end in specialized structures (Ruffini, pacininan, Meissner)

each structure detects specific NON painful stimuli (touch temp and vibration)

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7
Q

C fibers

A

-unmyelinated (slow coducting)

-end as free nerve endings in the superficial layers of the skin–> even up into the epidermis

-detect many types of painful stimuli (thermal, mechanical, chemical, electrical)

polymodal nociceptor

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8
Q

congenital insensitivity to pain

A

born without nociceptor’s

cannot detect pain

but pain is important for our survival

lifespan is shorter

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9
Q

painful stimuli are detected on __________?

A

free nerve endings of C fibers by specialized receptors

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10
Q

TRPV1

A

activated by heat and capsaicin (capsaicin plants, i.e chillis

causes burning pain

eating something hot opens those receptors

ion channel gated by temperature –> higher than about 40 degrees c

different ligands can also bind

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11
Q

TRPA1

A

-allyl isothionate (mustard oil)
-mustard, wasabi
-burning, inflammation
-different ligands from our immune system can bind

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12
Q

inflammatory receptors

A

neurokinin (NK)

bradykinin (BK)

cytokines

recruitment of immune cells to place of injury

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13
Q

what is Urishol?

A

-found in poison ivy, crosses the skin and initiates an inflammatory reaction that activates NK, BK, and cytokine receptors

causes itch and pain

Toxicodendron radicans = poison ivy

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14
Q

C fiber primary afferents synapse onto ______________ in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord

A

Secondary afferents

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15
Q

secondary afferents carry ___________ information up the spinal cord to the brain

A

nociceptive

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16
Q

pain happens in the ______

A

brain

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17
Q

T or F, “ pain is not processed in one singular part of the brain “

A

True

it emerges from coordinated regions across the brain

e.g. PFC, amygdala, primary sensory area

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18
Q

true or false, “ nociception does not equal pain”

A

true these terms are not necessarily interchangeable

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19
Q

nociception

A

-machine of the body

-relay of pain signal from periphery to the brain

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20
Q

pain

A

the integration of the pain signal with cognitive and emotional context (requires the brain, always a subjective experience)

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21
Q

is it possible to have nociception but not pain?

A

yes this is is possible, for example adrenaline rush

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22
Q

under nociception there are three branches what are they and how are they broken down?

A

sensory= how much it hurts and where

cognitive= context (where am i) memory (have i felt this before)

emotional= does the pain bother me?

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23
Q

can plants inhibit pain at many different levels of the nervous system?

A

yes they can

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24
Q

willowbark

A
  • salicylic acid (aspirin)

-decreases inflammation at the level of the primary afferent nociceptor

-interferes with the inflammatory binding and decreases inflammation and pain

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25
Q

Opioid

A

any drug that binds to an opioid receptor includes opiates, as well as synthetic opioid agonists (fentanyl, heroin, oxycontin)–> those are not found in opium poppy but hits the same opioid receptor

Salvinorin is an opioid

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26
Q

opium

A

is the dried latex obtained from the poppy

how we orginally exploited the plant, semi refined substance directly from the poppy

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27
Q

opiates

A

any drug derived from opium

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28
Q

Mu opioid receptors

A

-widely spread out

-peripheral neurons and spinal cord

widely throughout brain–> opioids make you feel good in the absence of pain as well

have analgesic and euphoria effects

typical agonists would be : heroin, morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl

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29
Q

opioid overdose

A

inhibits part of brainstem

fentanyl and car fentanyl

fall asleep and stop breathing

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30
Q

opioid receptors are inhibitory _________

A

G protein coupled receptors

7 transmembrane receptor is very characteristic

sets off cascade of signalling

activation of opioid receptors–> inhibits neurons

31
Q

morphine is an ______

A

agonist that activates opioid receptors,

but that activation leads to decreased likelihood that the neuron will fire

32
Q

what are the three classes of opioid receptors?

A

Mu

delta

kappa

33
Q

Delta opioid receptor

A

decreases anxiety when activated

typical agonists are: some drugs being developed to treat chronic pain conditions like migraine ( SNC80)–> NO botanical drugs that hit delta

34
Q

every single analgesic on the market right now hits the _______ opioid receptor?

A

Mu opioid

35
Q

kappa opioid receptor

A

activation leads to –> analgesia, dysphoria, hallucinations

-widely expressed on the peripheral

salvinorin–> short lasting but intense, limited use for pain

36
Q

mu opioid receptor agonists are….

A

the gold standard pain killer

they are excellent at treating severe, acute pain, but problems may arise with chronic use e.g. opioid addiction epidemic

37
Q

opioid receptors inhibit _________?

A

nociceptors (C fibers) to block nociception in the spinal cord

-blocks the ability of the nociceptor to send signal to the brain

38
Q

dopamine

A

-involved in motivated behaviour

-dopamine neurons are located primarily in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) (small nucleus in the brain)

39
Q

the first time you take morphine there is a very large increase in what?

A

dopamine

40
Q

opioid receptors in the VTA are located on inhibitory _____________?

A

GABAergic interneurons

41
Q

opioids inhibit inhibition which is called ?

A

disinhibition

which leads to a increase in dopamine release

42
Q

which is a better analgesic drug, morphine or aspirin?

A

morphine

43
Q

dopamine is very associated with ________?

A

addiction

44
Q

we want drugs that alter the ________ and ________ components?

A

sensory and cognitive

drugs that target the sensory as well as cognitive and emotional circuits will always be better analgesics

45
Q

opioid receptors inhibit pain by:

A

1) decreasing nociception at the level of the C fiber, in the spinal cord and in the thalamus

2) decreasing the emotional and cognitive aspects of pain (makes the pain bother you less)

46
Q

what is the catch 22 of trying to design a good non addictive analgesic?

A

opioids are good analgesics because they are rewarding (addictive)

47
Q

cannabis

A

genus of flowering plant

contains many bioactive compounds, but most studied are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD)

THC is the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis

48
Q

cannabinoids

A

more of a general name

class of chemical compounds that act at the cannabinoid receptors

49
Q

how do cannabinoids work?

A

cannabinoid receptors come in two flavors: CB1 and CB2

CB1 receptors are among the most abundant GPCR found in the brain, peripheral organs (heart liver fat stomach, testes), and peripheral nerves

CB2 receptor distribution mostly on immune cells
-inflammatory cells

50
Q

how do cannabinoids work?

A

cannabinoid receptors are inhibitory G-protein coupled receptors (Gi coupled)

cannabinoid receptors are located on the presynaptic membrane

cannabinoid receptors leads to a decrease in cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation which inhibits the influx of calcium in the firing neuron and inhibits neurotransmitter release

decrease synaptic transmission, inhibit neurotransmitter release

51
Q

THC is a ________ agonist at CB1

A

partial

52
Q

mechanism of action for cannabidiol (CBD)

A

Is poorly understood, but some evidence it can act act as negative allosteric modulator at CB1 (binds outside the binding pocket to block receptor activation)

binds a lot of different targets poorly ( low affinity)

53
Q

is it possible for CBD to blunt psychotropic effects of THC

A

maybe, we do not know for sure

54
Q

THC general effects

A

euphoria

relaxation

disinhibition

changes in perception

vasodilation

increases pulse rate

55
Q

potential therapeutic effects of THC

A

attenuation of nausea

increased appetite

decreased intraocular pressure

chronic pain relief

56
Q

unwanted effects

A

-memory impairment
-dysphoric state
-visual hallucinations
-depersonalization
-psychotic episodes
-anxiety

57
Q

CBD effects

A

some suggest CBD has therapeutic potential for management of inflammation, anxiety, emesis, nausea, inflammatory pain, and epilepsy ( but usually doses many fold higher than what is biologically possible in vivo

58
Q

pediatric epilepsy

A

is the only condition in which high-quality clinical data (randomized, placebo-controlled, control clinical trials)

patients 2-18 years old with confirmed diagnosis of Dravet syndrome ( genetic disorder associated with severe seizures from birth)

oral CBD significantly reduced frequency of seizures more than placebo

59
Q

acute affect’s

A

panic attacks, severe anxiety, psychosis, paranoia, convulsions, hyperemesis, these are rare and usually associated with high doses of THC

60
Q

prenatal effects

A

cannabis use may lead to neuroanatomical and behavioral changes in offspring. fetal growth affected (particularly neurodevelopment), but dose-response relationship not identified

61
Q

lung cancer

A

an adverse effect particularly through smoked cannabis

62
Q

driving

A

driving while intoxicated seems to increase the risk of being in a motor vehicle accident

THC impairs perception, psychomotor performance, cognitive functions, and affective functions

decreased reaction time

63
Q

is this statement true? “ no documented evidence of a death that can be exclusively attributed to overdosing with cannabis, probably because sparsity of CB1 receptors in the brain stem region that controls respiratory and cardiovascular systems

A

true

64
Q

psychosis

does cannabis use in adolescence increase the risk of later developing psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia ?

A

Met/Met genotype there is no difference between marijuana use and not

Val/Met genotype only increases risk if you use marijuana during adolescence

Val/Val genotype is highly affected by drug use

-correlative data suggesting are more likely to use cannabis use dose-dependently predicts the development of schizophrenia later

65
Q

maybe a trigger in the development of schizophrenia in at-risk populations

A
66
Q

physiological dependence

A

compulsive drug-seeking behavior in which the individual uses the drug receptively for personal satisfaction, often in the face of known risks to health

67
Q

physiological dependence

A

revealed when withdrawal of the drug produces symptoms and signs that are frequently opposite of those sought by the user

68
Q

cannabis withdrawal

A

is relatively mild and short lived

symptoms of restlessness, irritability, mild agitation, insomnia, nausea, cramping, may be worse in chronic, long term users, and may contribute to continued drug use

69
Q

dependence

A

addiction or substance abuse disorder is defined as the inability to control the use of legal or illegal substances despite negative consequences

70
Q

smoked or vaped cannabis may be effective at treating conditions like:

A

chronic pain, chemotherapy, induced nausea, etc.

71
Q

is this true or false? “A smoked plant is not ideal because hard to control dose ( different plants have different levels of active drug) “

A

true

72
Q

have efforts to design synthetic cannabinoids (CB1 and CB2 agonists) been successful

A

some success but not nearly as effective as smoked cannabis

73
Q

what is the optimal route of administration?

A

inhalation –> easy to titrate, quick onset

74
Q
A