Plants and Pain Flashcards
examples of a hallucinogen
Psilocibin= mushrooms - and is a serotonin agonist
Ayahuasca
-DMT
-monoamine oxidase inhibitor (increase synaptic serotonin levels)
examples of stimulants
coca leaves
-dopamine reuptake inhibitor ( increases synaptic dopamine levels)
tobacco
-stay awake, learn, remember
-cholinergic agonist at nicotinic receptors
coffee bean
-adenosine receptor antagonist
what properties of these plants are the most important?
analgesic properties
since the beginning of time we have sought this out, reduction of pain and we have derived these effects from botanical compounds
examples of analgesic drugs derived from plants:
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
primary afferents
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
A fibers
touch, warm temperature
myelinated (fast conducting)
end in specialized structures (Ruffini, pacininan, Meissner)
each structure detects specific NON painful stimuli (touch temp and vibration)
C fibers
-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
congenital insensitivity to pain
born without nociceptor’s
cannot detect pain
but pain is important for our survival
lifespan is shorter
painful stimuli are detected on __________?
free nerve endings of C fibers by specialized receptors
TRPV1
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
TRPA1
-allyl isothionate (mustard oil)
-mustard, wasabi
-burning, inflammation
-different ligands from our immune system can bind
inflammatory receptors
neurokinin (NK)
bradykinin (BK)
cytokines
recruitment of immune cells to place of injury
what is Urishol?
-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
C fiber primary afferents synapse onto ______________ in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord
Secondary afferents
secondary afferents carry ___________ information up the spinal cord to the brain
nociceptive
pain happens in the ______
brain
T or F, “ pain is not processed in one singular part of the brain “
True
it emerges from coordinated regions across the brain
e.g. PFC, amygdala, primary sensory area
true or false, “ nociception does not equal pain”
true these terms are not necessarily interchangeable
nociception
-machine of the body
-relay of pain signal from periphery to the brain
pain
the integration of the pain signal with cognitive and emotional context (requires the brain, always a subjective experience)
is it possible to have nociception but not pain?
yes this is is possible, for example adrenaline rush
under nociception there are three branches what are they and how are they broken down?
sensory= how much it hurts and where
cognitive= context (where am i) memory (have i felt this before)
emotional= does the pain bother me?
can plants inhibit pain at many different levels of the nervous system?
yes they can
willowbark
- salicylic acid (aspirin)
-decreases inflammation at the level of the primary afferent nociceptor
-interferes with the inflammatory binding and decreases inflammation and pain
Opioid
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
opium
is the dried latex obtained from the poppy
how we orginally exploited the plant, semi refined substance directly from the poppy
opiates
any drug derived from opium
Mu opioid receptors
-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
opioid overdose
inhibits part of brainstem
fentanyl and car fentanyl
fall asleep and stop breathing