Quantitative Determination of Salvinorin A, a Natural Hallucinogen with Abuse Liability, in Salvia divinorum and Endemic Species of Salvia in Taiwan and Management of the Potential New Recreational Drug Use

• Main Authors: Po-Xiang Lin, 林柏翔
• Other Authors: Jih-Heng Li
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/51145101850381980454

碩士 === 高雄醫學大學 === 藥學研究所 === 100 === Recently, use of recreational drugs has become a new trend among young drug users. Besides the well-known drugs such as marijuana, amphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and ketamine, Salvia divinorum (Lamiaceae), which contains a hallucinogenic ingredient, salvinorin A, has been abused as a new phenomenon among young drug users. The mechanism of salvinorin A is a selective agonist at κ-opioid receptors and distinct from the classical hallucinogens. Hallucinatory effect of salvinorin A in Salvia divinorum is similar to marijuana, LSD and ketamine. In the recent years, use of Salvia divinorum has increased in the many countries. The prevalence of Salvia divinorum use in young drug users is higher than other recreational drugs. Salvia divinorum is becoming a serious concern for its the potential harm. Currently, dry leaves of Salvia divinorum and its related “concentrated extract” products have been sold through the internet in Taiwan. Salvia divinorum may become a recreational drug in Taiwan, because it has not been regulated. In this study, we used high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to detect whether salvinorin A was present in substantial amounts among Salvia divinorum and endemic species of Salvia in Taiwan. The dry leaves of Salvia divinorum and endemic species of Salvia were extracted with methanol and examined on a C-18 column by isocratic elution with mobile phase of acetonitrile : water (35:65, v/v) at flow-rate of 1.5 mL/min and UV detection. Results from our study indicated that although salvinorin A was detected in Salvia divinorum, it was not found in endemic Salvia species of Taiwan under the collected conditions. Therefore, the endemic species of Salvia in Taiwan may not possess hallucinogenic potential. According to three major indicators for control of addictive drugs, i.e., addiction potential, abuse potential and liability of social harms, evaluation of the potential harms indicated that the effect of Salvia divinorum was similar to other hallucinogenic drug. Based on the results, we suggested that Salvia divinorum and its related “concentrated extract” products may need close scrutiny in Taiwan.