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الدراسات واألبحاث حول القات TI: Khat and blood glucose levels in man. AU: Elmi,-A-S SO: J-Ethnopharmacol. 1983 Sep; 8(3): 331-4 IS: 0378-8741 LA: English AN: 6645581 TI: The chewing of khat in Somalia. AU: Elmi,-A-S SO: J-Ethnopharmacol. 1983 Aug; 8(2): 163-76 IS: 0378-8741 LA: English AB: Khat (Catha edulis Forsk.), known in Somalia as "qaad" or "jaad", is a plant whose leaves and stem tips are chewed for their stimulating effect. From the Harar area, khat has been introduced at different times into the present day territories of Somalia, Djibouti, South and North Yemen, Kenya, Madagascar, Tanzania and down to south eastern Africa. The plant, which belongs to the Celestraceae family, grows wild at altitudes of 1500-2000 m above sea level. Among the various compounds present in the plant (more than forty alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, terpenoids, etc.), two phenylalkylamines, namely cathine [+)-norpseudoephedrine) and cathinone [-)S-oaminopropiophenone) seem to account mostly for the effect. The consumers get a feeling of well-being, mental alertness and excitement. The after effects are usually insomnia, numbness and lack of concentration. The excessive use of khat may create considerable problems of social, health and economic nature. These problems have been summarily reviewed. Khat chewing started at different times in different parts of Somalia. Since World War II, the prevalence of the practice has continuously increased and no social group is excluded. An epidemiological research to compare Northern and Southern regions of Somalia and to obtain a rough estimate of prevalence, definition of social characteristics of the groups of consumers, specification of the motivations, patterns of use and effects during and after consumption has been conducted. Consumers and nonconsumers (7485 people) were randomly interviewed in the two regions. Khat consumption in relation to sex, age, occupation and grade of education is presented. AN: 6139513 TI: A comparison of the catecholamine releasing effect of the khat alkaloids (-)cathinone and (+)-norpseudoephedrine. AU: Kalix,-P SO: Drug-Alcohol-Depend. 1983 Jun; 11(3-4): 395-401 IS: 0376-8716 LA: English AB: Consumption of khat leaves produces symptoms that are similar to those caused by amphetamine. The experiments reported in the following describe the effect of the two khat alkaloids (-)-cathinone and (+)-norpseudoephedrine at the cellular level. Both were shown to induce release from physiological catecholamine storage sites. Peripheral noradrenaline sites (rabbit heart) were observed to be more sensitive than CNS dopamine sites (rat nucleus accumbens). In the latter organ, which is believed to be involved in amphetamine hypermotility, (-)-cathinone was considerably more potent than (+)norpseudoephedrine. AN: 6617477 TI: Effect of (-)-cathinone, a khat leaf constituent, on dopaminergic firing and dopamine metabolism in the rat brain. AU: Mereu,-G-P; Pacitti,-C; Argiolas,-A SO: Life-Sci. 1983 Mar 21; 32(12): 1383-9 IS: 0024-3205 LA: English AB: The effect of (-)-cathinone (CAT), an alkaloid from khat leaves, on brain dopamine (DA) metabolism and on the firing rate of nigral DA neurons was studied in rats, in comparison with that of d-amphetamine. Like d-amphetamine, CAT (8-40 mg/kg i.p.) decreased DOPAC levels in the caudate nucleus, nucleus accumbens and frontal cortex, without modifying DA concentrations. CAT showed approximately one fifth of the potency of d-amphetamine in this effect. CAT, injected i.v. to unanesthetized, paralyzed rats, inhibited the firing rate of DA neurons in the substantia nigra, pars compacta, showing a similar potency to that of d-amphetamine in this respect. CATinduced inhibition of dopaminergic firing was reversed by haloperidol. AN: 6834994 TI: Use and abuse of khat (Catha edulis): a review of the distribution, pharmacology, side effects and a description of psychosis attributed to khat chewing. AU: Pantelis,-C; Hindler,-C-G; Taylor,-J-C AD: Department of Psychiatry, Royal Free Hospital, London. SO: Psychol-Med. 1989 Aug; 19(3): 657-68 IS: 0033-2917 PY: 1989 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: There have been relatively few reported cases of psychosis due to khat usage despite its heavy consumption in certain East African and Arabian countries. Four cases have been reported in the UK. We report here on three further cases of psychotic reactions to this substance in Somalian males, and emphasize the need to be aware of khat as a potential substance of abuse, with both medical and psychiatric complications. The features of khat psychoses are described and the relationship to amphetamine and ephedrine psychoses is discussed. The forensic aspects of two of the cases which involved homicide and combined homicide and suicide are highlighted, as is the possible role of social dislocation from the culture of origin. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-adverse-effects; *Plant-Extractsadverse-effects; *Psychoses,-Substance-Induced-etiology; *Substance-RelatedDisorders-etiology MESH: Adult-; Catha-; Chemistry-; Psychoses,-Substance-Induced-psychology; Recurrence-; Substance-Related-Disorders-psychology; Suicide,-Attempted-psychology; Violence- TG: Case-Report; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article; Review; Review,-Tutorial SH: adverse-effects; etiology; psychology RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2572026 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat, toxic reactions to this substance, its similarities to amphetamine, and the implications of treatment for such patients. AU: Pantelis,-C; Hindler,-C-G; Taylor,-J-C SO: J-Subst-Abuse-Treat. 1989; 6(3): 205-6 IS: 0740-5472 PY: 1989 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES CM: Comment On: J Subst Abuse Treat. 1988;5(3):163-9 MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-adverse-effects; *Plant-Extractsadverse-effects; *Psychoses,-Substance-Induced-etiology MESH: CathaTG: Human PT: Comment; Letter SH: adverse-effects; etiology RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2571736 TI: Khat chewing spread to the Somali community in Rome. AU: Nencini,-P; Grassi,-M-C; Botan,-A-A; Asseyr,-A-F; Paroli,-E AD: Institute of Medical Pharmacology, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy. SO: Drug-Alcohol-Depend. 1989 Jun; 23(3): 255-8 IS: 0376-8716 PY: 1989 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: The habit of chewing Khat (Catha edulis) to experience its euphorizing and psychostimulant effects has prevailed for centuries among the inhabitants of the Horn of Africa and the Arabian peninsula. In recent years, air transport has removed the major obstacle to the diffusion of Khat, its perishableness. Khat is now air-freighted to Europe and we were able to buy some in Rome. We report the results of interviews with 20 members of the Somali community in Rome, who had continued their habit of chewing Khat whilst abroad. They asserted that they gathered together whenever possible, but preferably at weekends, to chew moderate quantities of Khat (one bundle, about 400 g). The customary habit of drinking tea or other soft drinks containing methylxantines during Khat sessions was maintained and very few subjects admitted drinking alcohol. In this small study sample, Khat chewing still seems to be a social event, as it is in Somalia. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; *Ethnic-Groups; *Plant-Extracts; *Substance-Related-Disorders-epidemiology MESH: Catha-; Cross-Sectional-Studies; Rome-; Social-Environment; SocialFacilitation; Somalia-ethnology; Substance-Related-Disorders-psychology TG: Human PT: Journal-Article SH: ethnology; epidemiology; psychology RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2568922 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat consumption: a pharmacological review. AU: Nencini,-P; Ahmed,-A-M AD: Institute of Medical Pharmacology, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy. SO: Drug-Alcohol-Depend. 1989 Jan; 23(1): 19-29 IS: 0376-8716 PY: 1989 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: The present review deals with the considerable body of evidence gathered in the last ten years on the clinical and experimental pharmacology of Khat. Khat effects are generally agreed to be of amphetamine-like type. In particular, Khat ingestion, like amphetamine ingestion, produces sympathetic activation, anorexia, euphoria, increased intellectual efficiency and alertness. These effects are mainly mediated by phenylalkylamines, such as cathinone and cathine, because the pharmacological actions of these agents and those produced by amphetamine almost overlap. In infra-human species cathinone is an effective positive reinforcer (i.e., it maintains self-administration). However, it would be inappropriate to infer from cathinone and cathine effects assessed in animals a high potential of abuse for Khat in humans; apart from other reasons the bulk volume of Khat leaves, limits the ingestion of high quantities of the active principles. Accordingly, in habitual consumers Khat dependence is probably mild, because craving and tolerance to the sympathomimetic and neuroendocrine effects of Khat are present, but there is no definite abstinence syndrome. Therefore, in our opinion, policies restricting the use of Khat should be adopted with caution, lest they simply change the pattern of drug abuse and increase the spread of more dangerous drugs. MESH: *Plant-Extracts-pharmacokinetics; *Substance-Related-Disorders-etiology MESH: Catha-; Nervous-System-drug-effects; Synaptic-Transmission-drug-effects TG: Animal; Human; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article; Review; Review,-Tutorial SH: drug-effects; pharmacokinetics; etiology RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2537717 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Effect of khat on the metabolism of erythrocytes. AU: Farag,-R-M; Gunaid,-A-A; Qirbi,-A-A AD: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sana,a University, Yemeni Arab Republic. SO: Biochem-Pharmacol. 1989 Feb 15; 38(4): 563-6 IS: 0006-2952 PY: 1989 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: The plant khat "Catha Edulis Forsk" is widely distributed among most East African countries, Yemen and many other areas of the world. Administration of khat extract by the intragastric route in rabbits affected the metabolism of erythrocytes. There is a significant decrease in pyruvate kinase and the level of reduced glutathione (P less than 0.001), and a highly significant increase in both glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and glutathione reductase activities (P less than 0.001) in khat-fed rabbits as compared to controls. On the other hand the activity of uridyl transferase as well as the concentration of 2,3-diphosphoglycerate were not significantly changed in experimental khat-fed rabbits (P greater than 0.5). MESH: *Erythrocytes-drug-effects; *Plant-Extracts-pharmacology MESH: Catha-; Diphosphoglyceric-Acids-blood; Erythrocytes-enzymology; Glucosephosphate-Dehydrogenase-blood; Glutathione-blood; Glutathione-Reductaseblood; Pyruvate-Kinase-blood; Rabbits-; UDPglucose-Hexose-1-PhosphateUridylyltransferase-blood TG: Animal PT: Journal-Article SH: blood; drug-effects; enzymology; pharmacology RN: 0; 0; 70-18-8; EC 1.1.1.49; EC 1.6.4.2; EC 2.7.1.40; EC 2.7.7.12 NM: Diphosphoglyceric-Acids; Plant-Extracts; Glutathione; GlucosephosphateDehydrogenase; Glutathione-Reductase; Pyruvate-Kinase; UDPglucose-Hexose-1Phosphate-Uridylyltransferase SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2917013 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Malo znama rostlina "kat". [A little known plant "Khat"] AU: Maresova,-Z SO: Vnitr-Lek. 1967 Jul; 13(7): 753-9 IS: 0042-773X PY: 1967 LA: Czech; Non-English CP: CZECHOSLOVAKIA MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Gastric-Juice-secretion MESH: Arabia-; Hypnotics-and-Sedatives-pharmacology; Plants,-Medicinal TG: Human PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; secretion RN: 0; 0 NM: Alkaloids; Hypnotics-and-Sedatives SB: Index-Medicus UD: 19680404 AN: 6080402 TI: Toxicite et antagonistes du khat. [Toxicity and antagonists of kat] AU: Lemordant,-D SO: Med-Trop-(Mars). 1966 Mar-Apr; 26(2): 124-9 IS: 0025-682X PY: 1966 LA: French; Non-English CP: FRANCE MESH: *Alkaloids-poisoning; *Chlorpromazine-therapeutic-use; *NarcoticAntagonists-therapeutic-use; *Promethazine-therapeutic-use MESH: Arabia-; Ethiopia-; Mice-; SomaliaTG: Animal; Human PT: Journal-Article SH: poisoning; therapeutic-use RN: 0; 0; 50-53-3; 60-87-7 NM: Alkaloids; Narcotic-Antagonists; Chlorpromazine; Promethazine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 19660723 AN: 5931998 TI: Chiral resolution of cationic drugs of forensic interest by capillary electrophoresis with mixtures of neutral and anionic cyclodextrins. AU: Lurie,-I-S; Klein,-R-F; Dal-Cason,-T-A; LeBelle,-M-J; Brenneisen,-R; Weinberger,-R-E AD: Drug Enforcement Administration, Special Testing and Research Laboratory, McLean, Virginia 22102-3494. SO: Anal-Chem. 1994 Nov 15; 66(22): 4019-26 IS: 0003-2700 PY: 1994 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: Chiral resolution of a number of cationic drugs of forensic interest (amphetamine, methamphetamine, cathinone, methcathinone, cathine, cocaine, propoxyphene, and various alpha-hydroxyphenethylamines) is achieved via capillary electrophoresis (CE) with added cyclodextrins (CDs), including novel mixtures of neutral and anionic CDs. In the latter studies, resolution and migration speed are readily adjusted by varying the ratio of the two added CDs, as the anionic CD acts as a counter-migrating complexing reagent. The neutral CD, heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-beta-CD, was found suitable for the analysis of illicit cocaine and khat leaves (Catha edulis Forsk), which contain (-)-alphaaminopropiophenone ((-)-cathinone), (+)-norpseudoephedrine (cathine), (-)-norephedrine, and trace levels of the phenylpentenylamines (+)-merucathinone, (+)-merucathine, and possibly (-)-pseudomerucathine. The use of mixtures of the neutral and the anionic CD (beta-CD sulfobutyl ether IV) was found suitable for the analysis of illicit amphetamine, methamphetamine, methcathinone, and propoxyphene. A model is presented for the impact of mixtures of neutral and anionic CDs on migration behavior and chiral resolution in CE. MESH: *Cyclodextrins-chemistry; *Street-Drugs-isolation-and-purification MESH: Electrophoresis-; Forensic-Medicine-methods; Plant-Leaves-chemistry; Reference-Standards; Solvents-; Stereoisomerism-; Street-Drugs-analysis PT: Journal-Article SH: chemistry; methods; analysis; isolation-and-purification RN: 0; 0; 0 NM: Cyclodextrins; Solvents; Street-Drugs SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 7810901 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Natural history of Khat psychosis. AU: Jager,-A-D; Sireling,-L AD: Heatherton Hospital, Victoria. SO: Aust-N-Z-J-Psychiatry. 1994 Jun; 28(2): 331-2 IS: 0004-8674 PY: 1994 LA: English CP: AUSTRALIA AB: A paranoid psychosis, resembling amphetamine psychosis, caused by chewing Khat (stems and leaves from the plant Catha edulis) has been well described. Our case demonstrates the natural history of Khat psychosis which, in previous case reports, has been vigorously treated with major tranquillisers. MESH: *Plants-; *Psychoses,-Substance-Induced MESH: Africa-; Great-Britain-ethnology; Mastication-; RefugeesTG: Human PT: Journal-Article SH: ethnology SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 7993291 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat chewing among Agaro secondary school students, Agaro, southwestern Ethiopia. AU: Adugna,-F; Jira,-C; Molla,-T AD: Jima Institute of Health Sciences. SO: Ethiop-Med-J. 1994 Jul; 32(3): 161-6 IS: 0014-1755 PY: 1994 LA: English CP: ETHIOPIA AB: A cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was carried out to determine the prevalence of khat chewing among secondary school students in Agaro, southwestern Ethiopia in 1991. Two-hundred-forty-eight students randomly selected from grade 9 to 12 were included in the study with current prevalence of 64.9%. Khat chewing was found to be associated with being Muslim and male. The most frequent users were also in the age group of 15 to 22 years. The association between khat chewing and grade attended was statistically significant. The health and socioeconomic problems associated with the use of khat are discussed and possible interventions suggested. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; *Plant-Extracts; *SubstanceRelated-Disorders-epidemiology MESH: Adolescent-; Adult-; Catha-; Cross-Sectional-Studies; Educational-Status; Ethiopia-epidemiology; Prevalence-; Socioeconomic-Factors; Substance-RelatedDisorders-etiology; Substance-Related-Disorders-prevention-and-control TG: Female; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: epidemiology; etiology; prevention-and-control RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 7957128 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Le khat: de l'usage traditionnel au risque toxicomaniaque. [Khat: from traditional usage to risk of drug addiction] AU: Adam,-F; Hasselot,-N AD: Laboratoire de Biochimie, Hopital d'Instruction des Armees Laveran, Marseille, France. SO: Med-Trop-(Mars). 1994; 54(2): 141-4 IS: 0025-682X PY: 1994 LA: French; Non-English CP: FRANCE AB: In much of East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, the leaves of the qat tree (Catha edulis Forsk) are highly prized for their euphoric effects. Use is deeply anchored in regional customs and traditions. Once controversial, the chemical properties of qat are now well-documented; the active agent responsible for the physical and mental effects observed when the leaves are chewed is cathinone or alpha-aminopropiophenone. According to the definition of the World Health Organization, qat is not classified as an inevitably addictive drug. However recent reports of psychosis related to qat abuse in Great Britain and the United States have raised new alarm in the Narcotics Commission of the United Nations. Should qat be prohibited? International law on this issue is currently highly ambiguous. Importation of qat is illegal in France as in Switzerland, but legal in the United States and Great Britain as in most African countries. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-therapeutic-use; *Medicine,African-Traditional; *Plant-Extracts-therapeutic-use; *Substance-Related-Disordersetiology; *TreesMESH: Africa,-Eastern-epidemiology; Catha-; Central-Nervous-SystemStimulants-chemistry; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-classification; CentralNervous-System-Stimulants-pharmacology; Cultural-Characteristics; Drug-and-NarcoticControl; Plant-Extracts-chemistry; Plant-Extracts-classification; Plant-Extractspharmacology; Psychoses,-Substance-Induced-epidemiology; Psychoses,-SubstanceInduced-etiology; Psychoses,-Substance-Induced-prevention-and-control; Risk-Factors; Saudi-Arabia-epidemiology; Substance-Related-Disorders-epidemiology; SubstanceRelated-Disorders-prevention-and-control; World-Health-Organization TG: English-Abstract; Human PT: Journal-Article; Review; Review,-Tutorial SH: epidemiology; chemistry; classification; pharmacology; therapeutic-use; etiology; prevention-and-control RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 7934780 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: [Khat--the stimulant drug of Yemen, Ethiopia and other eastern countries] AU: Weiss,-S SO: Harefuah. 1994 Apr 15; 126(8): 482-3 IS: 0017-7768 PY: 1994 LA: Hebrew; Non-English CP: ISRAEL MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-adverse-effects; *Plant-Extractsadverse-effects MESH: Catha-; Ethiopia-; Substance-Related-Disorders; YemenTG: Animal; Human PT: Journal-Article SH: adverse-effects RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 7915244 TI: Khat, an amphetamine-like stimulant. AU: Kalix,-P AD: Departement de pharmacologie, Centre medical universitaire, Geneve, Switzerland. SO: J-Psychoactive-Drugs. 1994 Jan-Mar; 26(1): 69-74 IS: 0279-1072 PY: 1994 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-pharmacology; *Plant-Extractspharmacology MESH: Alkaloids-pharmacology; Catha-; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulantschemistry; Plant-Extracts-chemistry; Plants-chemistry TG: Animal; Human PT: Journal-Article; Review; Review,-Tutorial SH: pharmacology; chemistry RN: 0; 0; 0; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 7913130 TI: Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of khat: a controlled study. AU: Widler,-P; Mathys,-K; Brenneisen,-R; Kalix,-P; Fisch,-H-U AD: Department of Psychiatry, University of Berne, Switzerland. SO: Clin-Pharmacol-Ther. 1994 May; 55(5): 556-62 IS: 0009-9236 PY: 1994 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: OBJECTIVES: To show the subjective and cardiovascular effects of khat leaves having a standardized content of cathinone. BACKGROUND: The main effect of khat is an increase of energy and alertness. This effect is thought to be attributable to the phenylalkylamine cathinone, but no controlled clinical trials have been published. DESIGN: The design was balanced and double blind. Six drug-naive volunteers received a single dose of khat corresponding to 0.8 mg/kg body weight, as well as alkaloid-free khat as a placebo. Psychologic effects were evaluated by the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI) and visual analog scales. Physiologic measures were systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate. Plasma concentrations of cathinone and its metabolites norephedrine and R,R-(-)norpseudoephedrine were determined by HPLC. RESULTS: Maximal plasma concentrations of cathinone (127 +/- 53 [SD] ng/ml) were attained after 127 +/- 30 minutes. The area under the plasma concentration-time curve from 0 to 9 hours was 415 +/- 207 ng/ml.hr, and the terminal elimination half-life was 260 +/- 102 minutes. An effect of khat was observed in the ARCI scales Abuse Potential (p < 0.01), Motor Stimulation (p < 0.02), Amphetamine-Like Effect (p < 0.005), and Stimulation-Euphoria (p < 0.005), as well as in the visual analog scales Excited-Calm (p < 0.001) and Energetic-Lethargic (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide objective evidence for the amphetamine-like stimulatory effects of khat leaves. These effects were closely similar to those observed after cathinone, 0.5 mg/kg body weight, although peak plasma concentrations of cathinone after khat were delayed. MESH: *Affect-drug-effects; *Cardiovascular-System-drug-effects; *CentralNervous-System-Stimulants-pharmacology; *Plant-Extracts-pharmacology MESH: Adult-; Alkaloids-pharmacology; Blood-Pressure-drug-effects; Catha-; Double-Blind-Method; Heart-Rate-drug-effects; Psychotropic-Drugs-pharmacology; Reference-Values TG: Human; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Clinical-Trial; Controlled-Clinical-Trial; Journal-Article SH: drug-effects; pharmacology RN: 0; 0; 0; 0; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts; PsychotropicDrugs; cathinone SB: Abridged-Index-Medicus; Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 7910126 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Evaluation of teratogenic potential of khat (Catha edulis Forsk.) in rats. AU: Islam,-M-W; al-Shabanah,-O-A; al-Harbi,-M-M; al-Gharably,-N-M AD: Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. SO: Drug-Chem-Toxicol. 1994; 17(1): 51-68 IS: 0148-0545 PY: 1994 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: The embryotoxic and teratogenic effects of khat (Catha edulis Forsk.), a plant chewed by the people of Eastern Africa and Southern Arabia to attain a state of euphoria and stimulation, was studied in Wistar rats. Methanolic extract of khat was administered orally by gavage to rats during days from 6 to 15 of gestation at doses of 0, 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg. body weight/day. Khat reduced the food consumption and maternal weight gain and also lowered the food efficiency index, as compared to control mothers. On day 20 of gestation, all dams were sacrificed by cervical dislocation, cesarean sections were performed and maternal and fetal toxicities were assessed. The administration of khat had no effect on fetal sex ratio. However, at a dose of 125 mg/kg body weight and above, it produced a significant increase in resorptions and fetal wastage. Khat administration in utero also reduced the litter size and caused intrauterine growth retardation. External, visceral and skeletal examination of the fetus of treated dams showed several types of malformations and variations in all the groups of animals. However, a consistent tendency of abnormalities was observed in the highest dosed (500 mg/kg) group. The data of the present study revealed that khat retarded fetal growth and induced terata. The present observations indicate that khat possesses both embryotoxic as well as teratogenic properties. The developmental toxicities of khat are dose-related. MESH: *Plant-Extracts-toxicity; *Teratogens-toxicity MESH: Catha-; Embryo-and-Fetal-Development-drug-effects; Fetal-Deathchemically-induced; Rats-; Rats,-Wistar TG: Animal; Female; Pregnancy PT: Journal-Article SH: drug-effects; chemically-induced; toxicity RN: 0; 0 NM: Plant-Extracts; Teratogens SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 8168433 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: A comparison of the behavioral effects of l- and dl-cathinone and d-amphetamine. AU: Johanson,-C-E; Schuster,-C-R SO: J-Pharmacol-Exp-Ther. 1981 Nov; 219(2): 355-62 IS: 0022-3565 PY: 1981 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: The leaves of the Catha edulis plant (Khat) are chewed extensively by inhabitants of several African and Arab countries. It has been postulated that the behavioral effects of Khat are similar to those of amphetamine and that one of its components, cathinone, is the principal active alkaloid. In the first study, the ability of i.v. l-cathinone (0.0008-0.05 mg/kg/infusion), dl-cathinone (0.0016-0.1 mg/kg/infusion) and d-amphetamine (0.00160.025 mg/kg/infusion) to maintain responding under a fixed-ratio 10 schedule of delivery was determined. All three drugs functioned as positive reinforcers. Relative to amphetamine, lower doses of l-cathinone maintained responding, whereas the function for dl-cathinone was shifted to the right of amphetamine. However, potency comparisons are complicated by the fact that the dose-infusion functions for both l- and dl-cathinone were broader and peaked at higher rates than those generated by d-amphetamine. Because response rates under ratio schedules of drug delivery are determined by several properties of a drug, the relative potency of cathinone and d-amphetamine was investigated further. In a second experiment, the effects of i.v. l- and dl-cathinone (0.025-3.2 mg/kg) and damphetamine (0.0125-1.6 mg/kg) on responding maintained under a multiple fixed-ratio 30 fixed-interval 5-min schedule of food delivery were determined in three monkeys. Although there were some increases in overall rats, these drugs primarily produced dosedependent decreases in responding under both schedules. d-Amphetamine was 2 to 4 times more potent than l- and dl-cathinone which were equipotent. This may indicate that the lower rates of responding maintained by d-amphetamine in the first experiment were due to its greater potency in disrupting responding. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Behavior,-Animal-drug-effects; *Dextroamphetamine-pharmacology MESH: Cocaine-; Conditioning,-Operant-drug-effects; Food-; Macaca-mulatta; Reinforcement-Schedule; Self-Administration; StereoisomerismTG: Animal; Comparative-Study; Female; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't; Support,U.S.-Gov't,-P.H.S. PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 50-36-2; 51-64-9; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Cocaine; Dextroamphetamine; cathinone CN: DA00024DANIDA; DA00250DANIDA SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 7288625 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Cathinone, an alkaloid from khat leaves with an amphetamine-like releasing effect. AU: Kalix,-P SO: Psychopharmacology-(Berl). 1981; 74(3): 269-70 IS: 0033-3158 PY: 1981 LA: English CP: GERMANY,-WEST AB: Khat leaves, widely used as a stimulant in East Africa and the Arab Peninsula, contain the alkaloid (--)-cathinone. The effects of this substance on the efflux of radioactivity from rabbit striatal slices prelabelled with 3H-dopamine were examined. It was found that low concentrations of (--)cathinone enhance the release of radioactivity in a dose-dependent manner, and that (--)cathinone was capable of sustaining the enhanced release induced by (+)amphetamine. Pretreatment of the tissue with cocaine, which is known to prevent the induction of release by (+)amphetamine, inhibited the efflux increase caused by (--)-cathinone. These observations suggest that amphetamine and the active principle of khat leaves have an analogous mechanism of action. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Corpus-Striatum-metabolism; *Dopaminemetabolism MESH: Cocaine-pharmacology; Corpus-Striatum-drug-effects; Dextroamphetamine-pharmacology; RabbitsTG: Animal; In-Vitro PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects; metabolism RN: 0; 50-36-2; 51-61-6; 51-64-9; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Cocaine; Dopamine; Dextroamphetamine; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 6791236 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Selected bibliography on khat. AU: Anonymous SO: Bull-Narc. 1980; 32(3): 95-9 IS: 0007-523X PY: 1980 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES MESH: *Bibliography-; *Plant-Extracts MESH: CathaPT: Bibliography; Journal-Article RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 7020812 TI: Review of the pharmacology of khat. Report of a WHO advisory group. AU: Anonymous SO: Bull-Narc. 1980; 32(3): 83-93 IS: 0007-523X PY: 1980 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Plant-Extracts-pharmacology MESH: Alkaloids-adverse-effects; Behavior,-Animal-drug-effects; Cardiovascular-System-drug-effects; Catha-; Cats-; Central-Nervous-System-drugeffects; Chemistry-; Mice-; Public-Health; Rabbits-; Rats-; Self-Administration; Stereoisomerism-; Substance-Related-Disorders; Synaptic-Transmission-drug-effects TG: Animal; Human PT: Journal-Article SH: adverse-effects; pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 0; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Plant-Extracts; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 6266563 TI: Behavioural effects of cathinone, an amine obtained from Catha edulis Forsk.: comparisons with amphetamine, norpseudoephedrine, apomorphine and nomifensine. AU: Zelger,-J-L; Schorno,-H-X; Carlini,-E-A SO: Bull-Narc. 1980; 32(3): 67-81 IS: 0007-523X PY: 1980 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: The effect of khat (Catha edulis Forsk., family Celastraceae), a plant used for its stimulant effects in eastern Africa and southern Arabia, has until recently been attributed to the pharmacological action of d-norpseudoephedrine, also known as cathine. The isolation in 1975 of cathinone revived an earlier suggestion that the fresh leaves contained a substance more potent than cathine. The pharmacological assays reported on in this paper appear to confirm the higher stimulant capacity of cathinone. This substance produces qualitatively similar locomotor stimulation in mice and comparable stereotypy in rats as amphetamine does, although it is approximately half as active. The results obtained after pre-treatment with reserpine or alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine, which interfere with the catecholamine system, strongly suggest that cathinone interacts with brain catecholamines by an indirect mechanism and, most probably, by affecting neurotransmitter release of the labile pool. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Appetite-Depressants-pharmacology; *MotorActivity-drug-effects; *Plant-Extracts-pharmacology; *Stereotyped-Behavior-drugeffects MESH: Amphetamine-pharmacology; Apomorphine-pharmacology; Catecholamines-secretion; Catha-; Haloperidol-pharmacology; Mice-; Nomifensinepharmacology; Phenylpropanolamine-pharmacology; Rats-; Reserpine-pharmacology TG: Animal; Comparative-Study; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; secretion; drug-effects RN: 0; 0; 0; 0; 14838-15-4; 24526-64-5; 300-62-9; 36393-56-3; 50-55-5; 52-86-8; 5265-18-9; 58-00-4 NM: Alkaloids; Appetite-Depressants; Catecholamines; Plant-Extracts; Phenylpropanolamine; Nomifensine; Amphetamine; norpseudoephedrine; Reserpine; Haloperidol; cathinone; Apomorphine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 6911034 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Conclusions and recommendations of the Expert Group on the Botany and Chemistry of Khat. AU: Anonymous SO: Bull-Narc. 1980; 32(3): 65-6 IS: 0007-523X PY: 1980 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES MESH: *Plant-Extracts-analysis; *Plants,-Medicinal-analysis MESH: CathaPT: Journal-Article SH: analysis RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 6911033 TI: Khat: pharmacognostical aspects. AU: Nordal,-A SO: Bull-Narc. 1980; 32(3): 51-64 IS: 0007-523X PY: 1980 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: A survey was made of the early literature on the production of khat. A botanical and micromorphological examination of 15 samples of Catha edulis was carried out and the findings were compared with data from the earlier literature on the subject. Based on earlier and present observations, the vital organs (leaves, flowers, fruit and seeds) are described, with illustrations, to assist in the identification of khat. MESH: *Pharmacognosy-; *Plant-Extracts-analysis; *Plants,-Medicinal-anatomyand-histology MESH: CathaPT: Journal-Article SH: analysis; anatomy-and-histology RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 6911032 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: The chemistry of khat. AU: Szendrei,-K SO: Bull-Narc. 1980; 32(3): 5-35 IS: 0007-523X PY: 1980 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: This paper presents a review of literature on the chemical composition of khat (Catha edulis Forsk., Celastraceae). The effect of chewing fresh khat could not be explained satisfactorily by the action of d-norpseudoephedrine which was, for a long time, believed to be the only stimulant in khat. A comprehensive study on the chemical composition of khat was undertaken at the United Nations narcotics Laboratory with the aim of isolating and characterizing the principles of the fresh plant active on the central nervous system. This work resulted in the detection and isolation of cathinone, a phenylalkylamine characterized as (-)-alpha-aminopropiophenone. It is the main phenylalkylamine component of fresh khat, and pharmacological studies indicate that it may be the compound responsible for the characteristic stimulant activity and abuse potential of the plant. Some of its "decomposition" or transformation products, such as norpseudoephedrine, norephedrine, 3,6-dimethyl-2,5-diphenylpyrazine, and 1-phenyl1,2-propanedione, have also been isolated and characterized. MESH: *Plant-Extracts-analysis MESH: Alkaloids-isolation-and-purification; Catha-; Central-Nervous-SystemAgents-isolation-and-purification; Chemistry-; Chromatography,-Gas; MassFragmentography PT: Journal-Article SH: isolation-and-purification; analysis RN: 0; 0; 0; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Central-Nervous-System-Agents; Plant-Extracts; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 6911031 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: The cathedulin alkaloids. AU: Crombie,-L SO: Bull-Narc. 1980; 32(3): 37-50 IS: 0007-523X PY: 1980 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: Studies on fresh and dried leaf and shoot material of Catha edulis (khat) collected in Ethiopia, Kenya and the Yemen Arab Republic have led to the isolation, separation and characterization of new celastraceous alkaloids, the cathedulins, with molecular weights in the 600-1,200 range. All the cathedulins whose structures have been investigated prove to be polyesters or lactones of a sesquiterpene polyol core and fall into three groups: (a) low molecular weight esters of pentahydroxydihydroagarofuran; (b) cathedulins of medium molecular weight characterized by the possession of a euonyminol core and an evonimic acid dilactone bridge; and (c) high molecular weight, more complex esters of euonyminol. Chemical evidence and spectral data were used in assigning structures to the cathedulins studied as well as in placing the various esterifying acids on the different hydroxyl positions of the sesquiterpene core. In addition to cathedulins, neutral products isolated from khat include beta-sitosterol and its glycoside, friedeline, and hydroxylated delta 4-exo-relatives of the latter. Moreover, the pigmented root-bark contains triterpenoid quinones including celastrol, pristimerin, iguesterin and tingenone (tingenin A and B). MESH: *Alkaloids-isolation-and-purification; *Plant-Extracts-analysis MESH: Catha-; Chemistry-; Molecular-Weight PT: Journal-Article SH: isolation-and-purification; analysis RN: 0; 0; 0 NM: Alkaloids; Plant-Extracts; cathedulins SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 6911030 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Catha edulis (khat): some introductory remarks. AU: Anonymous SO: Bull-Narc. 1980; 32(3): 1-3 IS: 0007-523X PY: 1980 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Plant-Extracts MESH: CathaTG: Human PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology RN: 0; 0; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Plant-Extracts; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 6911029 TI: Relative potencies of two phenylalkylamines found in the abused plant Catha edulis, khat. AU: Peterson,-D-W; Maitai,-C-K; Sparber,-S-B SO: Life-Sci. 1980 Dec 1; 27(22): 2143-7 IS: 0024-3205 PY: 1980 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; *Phenylpropanolamine-pharmacology; *Plants,-Medicinal; *Propiophenonespharmacology; *Substance-Related-Disorders MESH: Conditioning,-Operant-drug-effects; Dose-Response-Relationship,-Drug; Rats-; Time-Factors TG: Animal; Comparative-Study; Human; Male; Support,-U.S.-Gov't,-P.H.S. PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 0; 0; 14838-15-4; 36393-56-3; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Propiophenones; Phenylpropanolamine; norpseudoephedrine; cathinone CN: DA07097DANIDA SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 6111010 TI: A constituent of khat leaves with amphetamine-like releasing properties. AU: Kalix,-P SO: Eur-J-Pharmacol. 1980 Nov 21; 68(2): 213-5 IS: 0014-2999 PY: 1980 LA: English CP: NETHERLANDS AB: Khat leaves, which are widely abused as a stimulant, contain the alkaloid (--)cathinone. The effect of this compound on the efflux of radioactivity from rabbit striatal tissue prelabelled with [3H]dopamine was examined. (--)-Cathinone enhanced the release of label, and was found to have a potency similar to that of (+)-amphetamine. The observation demonstrates that the khat alkaloid also has amphetamine-like effects at the cellular level. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Amphetamine-pharmacology; *Dopaminesecretion MESH: Corpus-Striatum-secretion; Plants-analysis; Rabbits-; Substance-RelatedDisorders TG: Animal; Human; In-Vitro PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; secretion; analysis RN: 0; 300-62-9; 51-61-6 NM: Alkaloids; Amphetamine; Dopamine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 7193583 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Cathinone, active principle of the khat leaf: its effects on in vivo and in vitro lipolysis. AU: Nencini,-P SO: Pharmacol-Res-Commun. 1980 Oct; 12(9): 855-61 IS: 0031-6989 PY: 1980 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Lipolysis-drug-effects; *Propiophenonespharmacology MESH: Adipose-Tissue-metabolism; Cyclic-AMP-blood; Epididymis-metabolism; Fatty-Acids,-Nonesterified-blood; Norepinephrine-metabolism; RatsTG: Animal; In-Vitro; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: metabolism; pharmacology; blood; drug-effects RN: 0; 0; 0; 51-41-2; 5265-18-9; 60-92-4 NM: Alkaloids; Fatty-Acids,-Nonesterified; Propiophenones; Norepinephrine; cathinone; Cyclic-AMP SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 6255493 TI: Hyperthermic response to (-)-cathinone, an alkaloid of Catha edulis (khat). AU: Kalix,-P SO: J-Pharm-Pharmacol. 1980 Sep; 32(9): 662-3 IS: 0022-3573 PY: 1980 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Body-Temperature-drug-effects; *Propiophenones-pharmacology MESH: Haloperidol-pharmacology; Motor-Activity-drug-effects; Mydriatics-; Rabbits-; Stereotyped-Behavior-drug-effects; Stimulation,-Chemical TG: Animal; Human PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 0; 0; 52-86-8; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Mydriatics; Propiophenones; Haloperidol; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 6107375 TI: Anorexigenic effects of two amines obtained from Catha edulis Forsk. (Khat) in rats. AU: Zelger,-J-L; Carlini,-E-A SO: Pharmacol-Biochem-Behav. 1980 May; 12(5): 701-5 IS: 0091-3057 PY: 1980 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: The anorexigenic effects of cathine (phenylpropanolamine) and cathinone (alphaaminopropiophenone), both amines obtained from Catha edulis Forsk. (Khat) were investigated by acute and chronic experiments in rats. Amphetamine was included for comparison purposes. Both khat amines reduced food intake when administered acutely and body weight when given chronically. Cathinone was more effective than cathine, and both were less active than amphetamine. Partial or total cross-tolerance was observed among the 3 drugs. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Appetite-Depressants; *Phenylpropanolamine-pharmacology; *Propiophenones-pharmacology MESH: Amphetamine-pharmacology; Body-Weight-drug-effects; DrugTolerance; Eating-drug-effects; Plants,-Medicinal; RatsTG: Animal PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 0; 0; 14838-15-4; 300-62-9; 36393-56-3; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Appetite-Depressants; Propiophenones; Phenylpropanolamine; Amphetamine; norpseudoephedrine; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 7393964 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Hypermotility of the amphetamine type induced by a constituent of khat leaves. AU: Kalix,-P SO: Br-J-Pharmacol. 1980 Jan; 68(1): 11-3 IS: 0007-1188 PY: 1980 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: Khat leaves, widely used as a stimulant in East Africa and the Arab Peninsula, contain the alkaloid, (-)-cathinone. The effects of this substance on the locomotor activity of rats were compared to those of (+)-amphetamine. Both substances were found to induce a similar degree of hypermotility. Furthermore, the effect of (-)-cathinone on the locomotor behaviour of hypophysectomized rats was analogous to that reported for (+)amphetamine in such animals. The results support the claim that the symptoms caused by the chewing of khat are amphetamine-like. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Dextroamphetamine-pharmacology; *MotorActivity-drug-effects; *Propiophenones-pharmacology MESH: Hypophysectomy-; Rats-; Stimulation,-Chemical; Time-Factors TG: Animal; Female PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 0; 51-64-9; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Propiophenones; Dextroamphetamine; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 7357134 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Prevalence of gonococcal and chlamydial infections and sexual risk behavior among youth in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AU: Taffa,-N; Bjune,-G; Sundby,-J; Gaustad,-P; Alestrom,-A SO: Sex-Transm-Dis. 2002 Dec; 29(12): 828-33 IS: 0148-5717 LA: English AB: BACKGROUND: No community-based study on the magnitude of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) has ever been conducted among young people in Ethiopia. GOAL: To assess the magnitude of and infections and status of sexual risk behavior among youths (15-24 years old) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. STUDY DESIGN: Youths in or out of school residing in two (of the six) administrative zones in Addis Ababa served as the study population. Participants filled out a self-administered questionnaire related to sexuality and its sociocultural determinants. First-void urine (FVU) was analyzed for gonorrhea and chlamydial infection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS: A total of 561 youths took part in the study. Urine PCR was performed for 522 of them. Nine subjects (1.7%) were found to have and infections. There were five cases (1.0%) involving each agent. Double infection was noted in one female subject. All but one of the infections were detected among the out-of-school youths (chi-square = 4.5; < 0.05). None of these subjects complained of symptoms suggestive of an active STD. One-third (188/561) reported having had sexual intercourse. The prevalence among sexually active youths was thus 4.8% (9/188) for both infections combined (2.7% for each agent). While 7/52 (13.5%) of the sexually active females were found to also have STDs, only 2/136 (1.5%) of the males had an STD (chi-square = 8.0; < 0.01). Report of sexual activity was significantly associated with being male, an age of >/=20 years, out-of-school status, and report of alcohol/khat (amphetamine-like substance) consumption. Females reported less condom use, whether they were in or out of school and independent of age. CONCLUSIONS: Out-of-school youths, especially females, took more sexual risk and were exceedingly susceptible to STDs. This calls for alternative group-targeted strategies for sex education, disease prevention, and STD screening and management. AN: 12466727 TI: Influence of khat on seminal fluid among presumed infertile couples. AU: Hakim,-L-Y SO: East-Afr-Med-J. 2002 Jan; 79(1): 22-8 IS: 0012-835X LA: English AB: OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of khat, alone and in combination with other drugs, on the qualitative characteristics of seminal fluid analysis of the male partners of allegedly infertile Ethiopian couples. DESIGN: A prospective cross-sectional study. SETTING: Infertility clinics at the Gandhi Memorial Women's hospital and Brook Medical Services from September 1992 to April 1995. PATIENTS: A total of 214 male patients with history of infertility and substance use of khat alone or in combination with tobacco smoking, coffee drinking and alcohol intake of over one year. All patients with no ejaculate, urologic and medical disorders and never used khat were excluded from the study. RESULTS: Abnormal values were obtained for relatively older patients who also showed a higher frequency of marriage, prolonged duration of infertility and greater number of children ever fathered (p<0.05). The normal and abnormal results for khat and other drug consumers accounted for 97 (53%) and 86 (47%) in contrast to 22 (71%) and 9 (29%) for the control group, respectively. The study revealed decreased volume, sperm count, motility and morphological changes in khat chewers compared to non-drug users although the differences were not statistically significant (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The study highlights the possible association of long-term use of khat and abnormal seminal fluid analysis profiles. RECOMMENDATION: Community-based clinical and epidemiological studies should be undertaken in regions where khat is widely consumed. AN: 12380866 TI: Khat: pharmacological and medical aspects and its social use in Yemen. AU: Al-Motarreb,-A; Baker,-K; Broadley,-K-J SO: Phytother-Res. 2002 Aug; 16(5): 403-13 IS: 0951-418X LA: English AB: Fresh leaves of the khat tree (Catha edulis Forsk.) are chewed for their euphoric properties in East Africa and parts of the Middle East, such as The Yemen. This review describes the history, cultivation and constituents of khat, and the social aspects of khat chewing in Yemen. The major pharmacologically active constituent of the fresh leaves is (--)-S-cathinone. The pharmacology of (--)-S-cathinone in the central nervous system and the peripheral effects are described. (--)-S-Cathinone is regarded as an amphetamine-like sympathomimetic amine and this mechanism of action is discussed in relation to the central stimulant actions and the cardiovascular effects of increasing blood pressure and heart rate. The risk factors associated with khat chewing are described, with emphasis on the reported increased incidence of acute myocardial infarction. Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. AN: 12203257 TI: Meet the khat-heads. AU: Gegax,-T-T SO: Newsweek. 2002 Sep 30; 140(14): 35 IS: 0028-9604 LA: English AN: 12418507 TI: Psychosocial determinants of sexual activity and condom use intention among youth in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. AU: Taffa,-N; Klepp,-K-I; Sundby,-J; Bjune,-G SO: Int-J-STD-AIDS. 2002 Oct; 13(10): 714-9 IS: 0956-4624 LA: English AB: Determinants of sexual activity and intentions for condom use were examined guided by the Attitude, Social influences, and Self-efficacy (ASE) model as a theoretical framework. A total of 561 in and out-of-school youth (15-24 years) in Addis Ababa completed a self-administered questionnaire. A third of them reported sexual intercourse in the past and half of the sexually active used condoms during recent intercourse. Being out-of-school, male, aged 20-24 years, alcohol use and khat (amphetamine-like substance) consumption predicted the likelihood of engagement in sexual activity. Of these variables, however, male sex was more associated with reported condom use during recent sexual intercourse. Self-efficacy, skills, and barriers predicted 23% of the variance in intentions to use condoms. Self-efficacy was also associated with past condom use. Psychosocial constructs predicted more variations in condom use intention for males than for females. In general, self-efficacy was found to be the strongest predictor of the constructs, whereas attitude and social influences were the weakest. The study implies that HIV/AIDS prevention programmes for young people in Ethiopia need to emphasize building assertive communication skills in sexual negotiations and condom use. Minimizing the gender gap in sexual relationships forms the cornerstone for such educational strategies. AN: 12396543 TI: Empfindliche Nachweismethoden fur das Stimulans Khat [Sensitive technics for the determination of the stimulant khat] AU: Rohm,-E; Schmid,-H-V SO: Arch-Kriminol. 1975 May-Jun; 155(5-6): 155-62 IS: 0003-9225 PY: 1975 LA: German; Non-English CP: GERMANY,-WEST MESH: *Phenylpropanolamine-analysis; *Plant-Extracts-analysis; *Plants,Medicinal MESH: Ethiopia-; Methods-; Stimulation,-Chemical; YemenPT: Journal-Article SH: analysis RN: 0; 14838-15-4 NM: Plant-Extracts; Phenylpropanolamine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 19760102 AN: 1180625 TI: Le khat, toxique du territoire des afars et des issas [Khat, a toxic substance from the Afar and Issa territory] AU: Serise,-M; L'epee,-P; Lazarini,-H-J; Labadie,-J-C; Doignon,-J; Absieh,-A SO: Med-Leg-Dommage-Corpor. 1974 Apr-Jun; 7(2): 145-50 IS: 0025-679X PY: 1974 LA: French; Non-English CP: FRANCE MESH: *Plant-Extracts; *Plants-; *Substance-Related-Disorders-history; *Substance-Related-Disorders-physiopathology MESH: Adolescent-; Adult-; Child-; Ethiopia-; Forensic-Medicine; Questionnaires-; Socioeconomic-Factors; StatisticsTG: English-Abstract; Female; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: history; physiopathology RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus; History-of-Medicine UD: 20021101 AN: 4459675 TI: The prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of khat chewing in Butajira, Ethiopia. AU: Alem,-A; Kebede,-D; Kullgren,-G SO: Acta-Psychiatr-Scand-Suppl. 1999; 397: 84-91 IS: 0065-1591 LA: English AB: A house-to-house survey was carried out in a rural Ethiopian community to determine the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of khat use. A total of 10,468 adults were interviewed. Of these, 58% were female, and 74% were Muslim. More than half of the study population (55.7%) reported lifetime khat chewing experience and the prevalence of current use was 50%. Among current chewers, 17.4% reported taking khat on a daily basis; 16.1% of these were male and 3.4% were female. Various reasons were given for chewing khat; 80% of the chewers used it to gain a good level of concentration for prayer. Muslim religion, smoking and high educational level showed strong association with daily khat chewing. AN: 10470360 TI: Major mental disorders in Butajira, southern Ethiopia. AU: Awas,-M; Kebede,-D; Alem,-A SO: Acta-Psychiatr-Scand-Suppl. 1999; 397: 56-64 IS: 0065-1591 LA: English AB: Previous studies conducted in Ethiopia lack information on the prevalence of specific mental disorders in rural communities. The lifetime and one-month prevalence of specific ICD-10 mental disorders and their associated socio-demographic factors were determined using the translated Amharic version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) in a rural population. A total of 501 community subjects selected from a predominantly rural district by stratified random sampling were interviewed by non-clinician interviewers. The weighted aggregate lifetime prevalence of psychiatric morbidity was 31.8% (26.7% when substance dependence was not included). The most frequent specific diagnoses were: dissociative disorders (6.3%), mood disorders (6.2%), somatoform disorders (5.9%), and anxiety disorders (5.7%). After adjustment in a multivariate logistic model, female sex was shown to have a statistically significant association with mood disorders (Odds Ratio, OR = 3.84, 95% CI: 1.90, 7.73) and somatoform disorders (OR = 2.30, 95% CI: 1.13, 4.60). Severe cognitive and mood disorders were significantly associated with being elderly, i.e. 60 or more years of age (OR = 7.71, 95% CI: 1.58, 7.53; and OR = 3.68, 95% CI = 1.36, 9.95, respectively). Khat dependence was associated with being Muslim and with earning a low income. (OR = 3.5, 95% CI: 1.02, 11.98; and OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.96, respectively). It is concluded that psychiatric morbidity is a major public health problem in the rural community. AN: 10470356 TI: Research on the chemical composition of khat. AU: Braenden,-O-J SO: NIDA-Res-Monogr. 1979; 27: 320-1 IS: 1046-9516 PY: 1979 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES MESH: *Alkaloids-isolation-and-purification; *Plants-analysis; *Propiophenonesisolation-and-purification PT: Journal-Article SH: isolation-and-purification; analysis RN: 0; 0; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Propiophenones; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 121351 TI: Khat--the problem today. AU: Halbach,-H SO: NIDA-Res-Monogr. 1979; 27: 318-9 IS: 1046-9516 PY: 1979 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES MESH: *Phenylpropanolamine-pharmacology; *Plants-analysis MESH: Alkaloids-pharmacology; Propiophenones-pharmacology PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; analysis RN: 0; 0; 14838-15-4; 36393-56-3; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Propiophenones; Phenylpropanolamine; norpseudoephedrine; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 121350 TI: Assessment of public health and social problems associated with khat chewing. AU: Khan,-I; Hughes,-P-H SO: NIDA-Res-Monogr. 1979; 27: 316-7 IS: 1046-9516 PY: 1979 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES MESH: *Plants-; *Substance-Related-Disorders MESH: Plant-Extracts; Public-Health; Social-Problems; World-HealthOrganization TG: Human PT: Journal-Article RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 121349 TI: Indagine sul consumo di khat nella citta di Mogadiscio. [Studies of the consumption of khat in the city of Mogadiscio] AU: Nencini,-P; Hussen,-M-Y; Mohamed,-M-X SO: Clin-Ter. 1978 May 15; 85(3): 223-36 IS: 0009-9074 PY: 1978 LA: Italian; Non-English CP: ITALY MESH: *Ephedrine-; *Plants,-Toxic; *Substance-Related-Disorders MESH: Adolescent-; Adult-; Plant-Extracts; SomaliaTG: English-Abstract; Female; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article RN: 0; 299-42-3 NM: Plant-Extracts; Ephedrine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 679631 TI: Khat abuse fuels Somali conflict, drains economy. AU: Randall,-T SO: JAMA. 1993 Jan 6; 269(1): 12, 15 IS: 0098-7484 PY: 1993 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES MESH: *Plant-Extracts; *Substance-Related-Disorders-economics MESH: Catha-; SomaliaTG: Human PT: News SH: economics RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Abridged-Index-Medicus; Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 8416391 TI: Rapid assessment of drug abuse in Ethiopia. AU: Selassie,-S-G; Gebre,-A AD: Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. SO: Bull-Narc. 1996; 48(1-2): 53-63 IS: 0007-523X PY: 1996 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: A study of drug and substance abuse at Addis Ababa and in 24 towns across Ethiopia was conducted from June to November 1995. Five categories of respondents were selected for the study: street children, commercial sex workers and street vendors; medical, social and public health workers; law enforcement officials; leaders of religious institutions and educational establishments, youth leaders and personnel of nongovernmental organizations providing social service to communities; and focus groups comprised of men and women from the various places covered in the study. All categories of respondents agreed that the problem of substance abuse was becoming increasingly serious in Ethiopia; that adolescents and young adults were the most affected group; and that addictive substances were easily obtainable in the country. The study also found that there was a significant increase in the number of Ethiopians chewing khat (Catha edulis). Khat, previously known to grow mainly in the eastern part of Ethiopia, was widely cultivated in all parts of the country. Khat consumption, traditionally confined to a certain segment of the population, had become popular among all segments of the population. Some of the respondents reported that khat-chewing often led to the abuse of illicit substances. MESH: *Population-Surveillance-methods; *Substance-Abuse-Detectionmethods; *Substance-Related-Disorders-epidemiology; *Substance-Related-Disordersprevention-and-control; *Urban-Health MESH: Adolescent-; Adult-; Child-; Drug-and-Narcotic-Control-legislation-andjurisprudence; Ethiopia-epidemiology; Knowledge,-Attitudes,-Practice; Prevalence-; Questionnaires-; Time-Factors TG: Female; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: legislation-and-jurisprudence; epidemiology; methods; prevention-and-control SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 9839035 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Malo znama rostlina "kat". [A little known plant "Khat"] AU: Maresova,-Z SO: Vnitr-Lek. 1967 Jul; 13(7): 753-9 IS: 0042-773X PY: 1967 LA: Czech; Non-English CP: CZECHOSLOVAKIA MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Gastric-Juice-secretion MESH: Arabia-; Hypnotics-and-Sedatives-pharmacology; Plants,-Medicinal TG: Human PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; secretion RN: 0; 0 NM: Alkaloids; Hypnotics-and-Sedatives SB: Index-Medicus UD: 19680404 AN: 6080402 TI: Toxicite et antagonistes du khat. [Toxicity and antagonists of kat] AU: Lemordant,-D SO: Med-Trop-(Mars). 1966 Mar-Apr; 26(2): 124-9 IS: 0025-682X PY: 1966 LA: French; Non-English CP: FRANCE MESH: *Alkaloids-poisoning; *Chlorpromazine-therapeutic-use; *NarcoticAntagonists-therapeutic-use; *Promethazine-therapeutic-use MESH: Arabia-; Ethiopia-; Mice-; SomaliaTG: Animal; Human PT: Journal-Article SH: poisoning; therapeutic-use RN: 0; 0; 50-53-3; 60-87-7 NM: Alkaloids; Narcotic-Antagonists; Chlorpromazine; Promethazine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 19660723 AN: 5931998 TI: Evaluation of genotoxic potential of khat (Catha edulis) in Swiss albino mice. AU: Tariq,-M; Al-Meshal,-I-A; Parmar,-N-S; Ageel,-A-M; Qureshi,-S AD: Cytogenetics Laboratory College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. SO: Mutagenesis. 1986 Sep; 1(5): 381-2 IS: 0267-8357 PY: 1986 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: Genotoxicity of the methanolic extract of khat (Catha edulis) has been evaluated on the male germ cells using the dominant lethal assay procedure in Swiss albino mice. The extract was administered at a dose of 500 mg/kg orally once daily, for five days. Following this sub-acute dose regimen, the effect of khat was studied during the different stages of spermatogenic cycle on the rate of pregnancy and post-implantation losses. Khat reduced the percent pregnancy rates and increased the mean post-implantation losses in the treated group. The increase was found to be statistically significant in the post-meiotic stages. MESH: *Mutagens-; *Plant-Extracts-toxicity MESH: Catha-; Fetal-Death-chemically-induced; Mice-; Mice,-Inbred-Strains; Spermatozoa-drug-effects TG: Animal; Female; Male; Pregnancy; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: chemically-induced; toxicity; drug-effects RN: 0; 0 NM: Mutagens; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 3331677 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Effects of an extract of khat (Catha edulis) on the toad heart. AU: Nabil,-Z; Saleh,-M; Mekkawy,-H; Allah,-G-A SO: J-Ethnopharmacol. 1986 Dec; 18(3): 245-56 IS: 0378-8741 PY: 1986 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: The effects of acute and chronic administration of an extract of Catha edulis on the heart of the toad were investigated. ECG and ventricular action potential were recorded simultaneously from the surface of the heart of spinal pithed toads before and after administration of different doses of khat extract. Acute treatment resulted in a dosedependent chronotropic effect and an increase in the amplitude of ventricular action potential. Chronic treatment on the other hand resulted in a negative chronotropic effect and a reduction in the amplitude of ventricular action potential. The observed responses are explained on the basis of the catecholamine releasing effect of components of khat extract. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-pharmacology; *Heart-drug-effects; *Plant-Extracts-pharmacology; *Plants,-Medicinal MESH: Action-Potentials-drug-effects; Analysis-of-Variance; Anura-; Catha-; Dose-Response-Relationship,-Drug; Egypt-; Electrocardiography-; Heart-Rate-drugeffects; Heart-Ventricle-drug-effects TG: Animal; Female; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: drug-effects; pharmacology RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2881029 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: The use of khat. An epidemiological study in two Yemenite villages in Israel. AU: Litman,-A; Levav,-I; Saltz-Rennert,-H; Maoz,-B SO: Cult-Med-Psychiatry. 1986 Dec; 10(4): 389-96 IS: 0165-005X PY: 1986 LA: English CP: NETHERLANDS AB: Chewing of khat leaves has been noted to be widespread in Yemen. Immigrants to Israel brought that practice along and have kept it alive ever since their initial settlement over thirty years ago. The small epidemiological study reported here made an inquiry into the extent of khat use in two agricultural villages. It also explored the association of that practice with social and psychiatric variables. Of interest was the finding that--contrary to most addictions--the prevalence rate of psychopathology was not higher among users than among abstainers. MESH: *Plant-Extracts; *Substance-Related-Disorders-epidemiology MESH: Adolescent-; Adult-; Aged-; Catha-; Cross-Sectional-Studies; Israel-; Middle-Age; Psychoses,-Substance-Induced-epidemiology TG: Female; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: epidemiology RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 3491729 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Subjective effects of khat chewing in humans. AU: Nencini,-P; Ahmed,-A-M; Elmi,-A-S SO: Drug-Alcohol-Depend. 1986 Sep; 18(1): 97-105 IS: 0376-8716 PY: 1986 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: The subjective effects of Khat (Catha edulis) chewing were studied in 14 male somali, habitual khat users, by means of the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI) questionnaire and of visual analogue scales concerning mood and appetite. Results show that euphoria, improved intellectual efficiency and alertness were associated with khat consumption in 10 subjects. In contrast, the remaining 4 subjects experienced only dysphoria and mild sedation. These latter effects were present in all the subjects in the post-chewing period. In spite of these subjective differences, blood pressure and pulse rate increased in all the volunteers studied. As a whole, these results are consistent with the presumed amphetamine-like action of khat, but suggest also a major role of environmental factors in the expression of these actions. MESH: *Appetite-drug-effects; *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulantspharmacology; *Emotions-drug-effects; *Mental-Processes-drug-effects; *PlantExtracts-pharmacology MESH: Catha-; Contraceptives,-Oral,-Combined; Hemodynamics-drug-effects; QuestionnairesTG: Human; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: drug-effects; pharmacology RN: 0; 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Contraceptives,-Oral,-Combined; PlantExtracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2877839 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Drug abuse in Africa. AU: Asuni,-T; Pela,-O-A SO: Bull-Narc. 1986 Jan-Jun; 38(1-2): 55-64 IS: 0007-523X PY: 1986 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: Apart from cannabis abuse in northern and southern Africa and khat chewing in north-eastern Africa, the history of drug abuse in Africa is relatively short. The abuse of drugs in Africa is nevertheless escalating rapidly from cannabis abuse to the more dangerous drugs and from limited groups of drug users to a wider range of people abusing drugs. The most common and available drug of abuse is still cannabis, which is known to be a contributing factor to the occurrence of a schizophrenic-like psychosis. The trafficking in and abuse of cocaine and heroin are the most recent developments in some African countries that had had no previous experience with these drugs. Efforts should be made to design and implement drug abuse assessment programmes to determine the real magnitude and characteristics of the problem and to monitor its trends. A lack of funds and a shortage of adequately trained personnel have made it difficult to implement drug abuse control programmes. In addition to formal drug control involving the implementation of legislation, there is an informal system of drug abuse control operating through the family, church, school, neighbourhood and work environment, as well as healthy recreational activities. It is suggested that efforts in African countries should be directed towards strengthening not only the formal drug control system but also informal control in order to compensate for the insufficient funds and the shortage of personnel trained in implementing formal drug control measures. It is very likely that the drug problems in African countries will worsen in future unless more effective measures are implemented to arrest the current situation. MESH: *Substance-Related-Disorders-epidemiology MESH: Africa-; Catha-; Marijuana-Abuse-epidemiology; Plant-Extracts; SocialControl,-Formal; Social-Control,-Informal; Substance-Related-Disorders-prevention-andcontrol; Substance-Related-Disorders-rehabilitation TG: Human PT: Journal-Article SH: epidemiology; prevention-and-control; rehabilitation RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 3490891 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Dopaminergic mediation of a behavioral effect of l-cathinone. AU: Schechter,-M-D SO: Pharmacol-Biochem-Behav. 1986 Aug; 25(2): 337-40 IS: 0091-3057 PY: 1986 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: Ten male rats were trained to discriminate between the stimulus properties of 0.6 mg/kg l-cathinone and saline in a two-lever food-motivated operant task. Once trained, rats showed a dose-dependent increase in discrimination over a dosage range of 0.15-1.2 mg/kg l-cathinone. Analysis of this dose-response relationship indicated an ED50 of 0.27 mg/kg. Pretreatment with 0.2 mg/kg of the specific dopamine blocking drug haloperidol increased this ED50 to 0.47 mg/kg and significantly decreased discriminative performance when co-administered with either 0.15, 0.3, or 0.6 mg/kg l-cathinone. Since the dose-effect curves for cathinone with and without haloperidol pre-treatment were parallel, it is suggested that l-cathinone, the active constituent in khat, produces its discriminative properties, in part, by mediation of dopaminergic neuronal systems. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Brain-drug-effects; *Conditioning,-Operant; *Discrimination-Learning; *Dopamine-physiology MESH: Alkaloids-administration-and-dosage; Cues-; Drug-Interactions; Food-; Haloperidol-administration-and-dosage; Rats-; Rats,-Inbred-Strains; SynapticTransmission-drug-effects TG: Animal; Male; Support,-U.S.-Gov't,-P.H.S. PT: Journal-Article SH: administration-and-dosage; pharmacology; drug-effects; physiology RN: 0; 51-61-6; 52-86-8; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Dopamine; Haloperidol; cathinone CN: 03591PHS SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 3020593 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Intravenous self-administration of (-)-cathinone and 2-amino-1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4methyl)phenylpropane in rhesus monkeys. AU: Yanagita,-T SO: Drug-Alcohol-Depend. 1986 Jun; 17(2-3): 135-41 IS: 0376-8716 PY: 1986 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: The reinforcing effects of (-)-cathinone, a pharmacologically active ingredient of khat, and 2-amino-1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-methyl)phenylpropane ((STP) (DOM)), a hallucinogenic psychotomimetic, were studied by intravenous self-administration experiments in rhesus monkeys. Among the experiments described in this paper, the result of continuous self-administration of (-)-cathinone was briefly reported elsewhere. T. Yanagita, Studies on Cathinones, NIDA Research Monograph 27, Proceedings of 41st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Committee on Problems of Drug Dependence, 1979, pp. 326-327. MESH: *2,5-Dimethoxy-4-Methylamphetamine-pharmacology; *Alkaloidspharmacology; *Amphetamines-pharmacology; *Behavior,-Animal-drug-effects; *Central-Nervous-System-drug-effects; *Substance-Related-Disorders MESH: Cocaine-pharmacology; Generalization,-Stimulus; Injections,-Intravenous; Macaca-mulatta; Reinforcement-Psychology; Self-Administration TG: Animal PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 0; 15588-95-1; 50-36-2; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Amphetamines; 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-Methylamphetamine; Cocaine; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 3743404 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat: another drug of abuse? AU: Giannini,-A-J; Burge,-H; Shaheen,-J-M; Price,-W-A SO: J-Psychoactive-Drugs. 1986 Apr-Jun; 18(2): 155-8 IS: 0279-1072 PY: 1986 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES MESH: *Plant-Extracts; *Substance-Related-Disorders MESH: Catha-; Hemodynamics-drug-effects; Plants,-Medicinal TG: Human; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: drug-effects RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 3734955 TI: Metabolism of cathinone to (-)-norephedrine and (-)-norpseudoephedrine. AU: Brenneisen,-R; Geisshusler,-S; Schorno,-X SO: J-Pharm-Pharmacol. 1986 Apr; 38(4): 298-300 IS: 0022-3573 PY: 1986 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: S-(-)-Cathinone (S-(-)-alpha-aminopropiophenone) is the major active principle of khat leaves (Catha edulis), which are widely used in East Africa and the Arab peninsula as an amphetamine-like stimulant. After oral administration of synthesized cathinone (isomers, racemate), 22-52% was recovered in 24 h urine samples mainly as aminoalcohol metabolites. With GC/MS, HPLC and CD, the main metabolite of S-(-)cathinone was identified as R/S-(-)-norephedrine and the main metabolite of R-(+)cathinone as R/R-(-)-norpseudoephedrine. Both aminoalcohols are formed by a stereospecific keto reduction. MESH: *Alkaloids-metabolism; *Phenylpropanolamine-urine MESH: Alkaloids-urine; Biotransformation-; Chromatography,-High-PressureLiquid; Circular-Dichroism; Mass-Fragmentography; StereoisomerismTG: Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: metabolism; urine RN: 0; 14838-15-4; 36393-56-3; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Phenylpropanolamine; norpseudoephedrine; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 2872296 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Anti-inflammatory activity of the flavonoid fraction of khat (Catha edulis Forsk). AU: Al-Meshal,-I-A; Tariq,-M; Parmar,-N-S; Ageel,-A-M SO: Agents-Actions. 1986 Jan; 17(3-4): 379-80 IS: 0065-4299 PY: 1986 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: The administration of the flavonid fraction, isolated from Khat (Catha edulis Forsk), in a dose of 200 mg/kg orally, produced a significant anti-inflammatory activity against the carrageenan induced paw oedema and cotton pellet granuloma in albino rats. The results were comparable with the standard anti-inflammatory drug oxyphenbutazone. MESH: *Anti-Inflammatory-Agents; *Bioflavonoids-pharmacology; *PlantExtracts-pharmacology MESH: Carrageenan-; Catha-; Edema-drug-therapy; Granuloma-prevention-andcontrol; RatsTG: Animal; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-therapy; prevention-and-control RN: 0; 0; 0; 9000-07-1 NM: Anti-Inflammatory-Agents; Bioflavonoids; Plant-Extracts; Carrageenan SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 3962788 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Halsoeffekter av khat--ett sydarabiskt njutningsmedel under spridning. [Effects of khat on health--a South Arabian stimulant with increasing consumption] AU: Kristiansson,-B; Eriksson,-M SO: Lakartidningen. 1985 Dec 27; 82(52): 4590-2 IS: 0023-7205 PY: 1985 LA: Swedish; Non-English CP: SWEDEN MESH: *Plant-Poisoning-prevention-and-control; *Plants,-Toxic; *SubstanceRelated-Disorders MESH: Risk-; Socioeconomic-Factors TG: English-Abstract; Human PT: Journal-Article SH: prevention-and-control SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 4087984 TI: The puzzle of drug-induced conditioned taste aversion: comparative studies with cathinone and amphetamine. AU: Goudie,-A-J; Newton,-T SO: Psychopharmacology-(Berl). 1985; 87(3): 328-33 IS: 0033-3158 PY: 1985 LA: English CP: GERMANY,-WEST AB: The potency of dl-cathinone (the active constituent of the Khat plant) was compared with that of d-amphetamine in the conditioned taste aversion (C.T.A.) procedure and in a test of drug-induced adipsia in rats. Both drugs induced C.T.A., the potency ratio being 1:17 (amphetamine was more potent). Both drugs induced adipsia in deprived rats given access to water for 120 min. The potency ratio in this procedure was 1:4. Potency in the C.T.A. procedure did not therefore correlate with potency in inducing adipsia; consequently drug-induced C.T.A. cannot be attributed to conditioned adipsia. In the adipsia test the drugs had similar durations of action, thus factors related to duration of drug action (cf Cappell and Le Blanc 1977) cannot account for the surprisingly low potency of cathinone in the C.T.A. procedure. These data, obtained with stimulant drugs with similar structures and similar actions in a variety of conventional in vivo and in vitro pharmacological tests, illustrate the unpredictable nature of drug actions in the C.T.A. procedure. The low potency of cathinone in inducing C.T.A. could not be predicted from knowledge of the potency of this compound in tests of adipsia (as shown here) or (as reported elsewhere) in tests of anorexia, locomotor stimulation, stereotypy, suppression of operant responding, drug discrimination, release and inhibition of reuptake of dopamine and noradrenaline, lethality and actions on the cardiovascular system. All of these studies have reported potency ratios considerably lower than 1:17, which were nevertheless similar to the 1:4 ratio observed in the adipsia test.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Avoidance-Learning; *Conditioning,Classical; *Dextroamphetamine-pharmacology; *TasteMESH: Behavior,-Animal-drug-effects; Drinking-Behavior-drug-effects; Rats-; Reinforcement-Psychology; Saccharin-; Self-Administration TG: Animal; Comparative-Study; Female PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 51-64-9; 5265-18-9; 81-07-2 NM: Alkaloids; Dextroamphetamine; cathinone; Saccharin SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 3936088 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Cathinone affects dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine neurons in vivo as measured by changes in metabolites and synthesis in four forebrain regions in the rat. AU: Nielsen,-J-A SO: Neuropharmacology. 1985 Sep; 24(9): 845-52 IS: 0028-3908 PY: 1985 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: Cathinone is an active ingredient in the leaves of the Khat shrub. Cathinone affects behavior, neurochemistry and electrophysiology in a manner similar to the stimulants amphetamine, cocaine and methylphenidate. The present study extended these studies by evaluating the effects of (+/-)cathinone on dopamine (DA) and 5hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)-containing neurons in several regions of the rat brain in vivo. An index of the rate of synthesis of DA and 5-HT in vivo was determined in the nuclei caudatus putamen (CP), accumbens (NA), amygdaloideus centralis (AC), septi lateralis (SL), preopticus pars suprachiasmatica (PSCN) and dorsomedialis (hypothalami; DMN) of male rats (175-225 g) by measuring the concentration of dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) after the administration of NSD 1015 (100 mg/kg, i.p.) an inhibitor of aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase. Concentrations of DA, 5-HT and their major metabolites dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and 5- hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), respectively, were analyzed by high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to an electrochemical detector. Cathinone decreased levels of DOPAC in a time- and dose-related manner in the caudatus putamen, accumbens, amygdaloideus centralis and septi lateralis with the peak effect occurring 30-60 min after a dose of 6 mg/kg (i.p.). Cathinone had no effect on DOPAC in the preopticus pars suprachiasmatica or dorsomedialis (hypothalami). The drug also decreased the accumulation of DOPA in the caudatus putamen, accumbens, amygdaloideus centralis and septi lateralis, but in the preopticus pars suprachiasmatica and dorsomedialis (hypothalami), there was no effect.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Brain-metabolism; *Dopamine-metabolism; *Serotonin-metabolism MESH: 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic-Acid-metabolism; 5-Hydroxytryptophanmetabolism; Brain-drug-effects; Dose-Response-Relationship,-Drug; Hydroxyindoleacetic-Acid-metabolism; Hypothalamus-metabolism; Rats-; Rats,-InbredStrains; Time-Factors TG: Animal; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't; Support,-U.S.-Gov't,-P.H.S. PT: Journal-Article SH: metabolism; pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 102-32-9; 50-67-9; 51-61-6; 5265-18-9; 54-16-0; 56-69-9 NM: Alkaloids; 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic-Acid; Serotonin; Dopamine; cathinone; Hydroxyindoleacetic-Acid; 5-Hydroxytryptophan CN: NIDA0359101DANIDA SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 2414683 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Pharmacological aspects of the chewing of khat leaves. AU: Kalix,-P; Braenden,-O SO: Pharmacol-Rev. 1985 Jun; 37(2): 149-64 IS: 0031-6997 PY: 1985 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-pharmacology; *Plant-Extractspharmacology MESH: Alkaloids-pharmacology; Amphetamine-pharmacology; Behavior-drugeffects; Catha-; Dopamine-secretion; Norepinephrine-secretion; Phenylpropanolaminepharmacology; Plant-Extracts-analysis; Receptors,-Dopamine-drug-effects; Serotoninsecretion; Substance-Related-Disorders TG: Animal; Human PT: Journal-Article; Review SH: pharmacology; drug-effects; secretion; analysis RN: 0; 0; 0; 0; 14838-15-4; 300-62-9; 36393-56-3; 50-67-9; 51-41-2; 51-61-6; 526518-9 NM: Alkaloids; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts; Receptors,Dopamine; Phenylpropanolamine; Amphetamine; norpseudoephedrine; Serotonin; Norepinephrine; Dopamine; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2864707 TI: Comparative effects of cathinone and amphetamine on fixed-interval operant responding: a rate-dependency analysis. AU: Goudie,-A-J SO: Pharmacol-Biochem-Behav. 1985 Sep; 23(3): 355-65 IS: 0091-3057 PY: 1985 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: The actions of dl-cathinone and d-amphetamine on operant responding were compared in rats. The effects of both drugs were predominantly suppressive on behaviour maintained by a Fixed Interval 2 minutes schedule of reward. Both drugs had equivalent durations of action in suppressing responding. The actions of the two compounds could be described as rate-dependent, although their rate-dependent actions could most parsimoniously be attributed to drug-induced rate constancy. Methysergide (10 mg/kg) had no significant differential effect on the response suppressant effects of the two compounds, even though in vitro studies have indicated that cathinone and amphetamine differ in their serotonin receptor affinity. The actions of cathinone were qualitatively similar to those of amphetamine in this behavioural test. Furthermore the observed potency ratio for dl-cathinone to d-amphetamine (1:3) was similar to that reported elsewhere in a range of other behavioural tests (anorexia, adipsia, drug-induced rotation, lethality) for this pair of isomers. The only major difference reported to date between the behavioural actions of cathinone and amphetamine relates to the unexpectedly weak potency of cathinone in the conditioned taste aversion procedure. Cathinone, the major active constituent of the Khat plant, is therefore a psychostimulant drug which may possess potent reinforcing properties by virtue of its amphetamine-like stimulant actions coupled with its very weak aversive properties. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Amphetamine-pharmacology; *Conditioning,-Operant-drug-effects MESH: Dextroamphetamine-pharmacology; Dose-Response-Relationship,-Drug; Rats-; Reinforcement-Schedule; Taste-drug-effects; Time-Factors TG: Animal; Comparative-Study; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 300-62-9; 51-64-9; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Amphetamine; Dextroamphetamine; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 4048231 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Blick uber die Grenzen. Das Quath-Problem in Jemen. [A look over the boundaries. The khat problem in Yemen] AU: Emmanouilidis,-T AD: Klinik fur Allgemein- und Visceralchirurgie am Lukas-Krankenhaus Bunde. SO: Chirurg. 2001 Apr; 72(4): suppl 110-1 IS: 0009-4722 PY: 2001 LA: German; Non-English CP: Germany MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; *Developing-Countries; *PlantExtracts; *Substance-Related-Disorders-epidemiology MESH: Catha-; Cross-Sectional-Studies; Incidence-; Substance-RelatedDisorders-etiology; Yemen-epidemiology TG: Human PT: Journal-Article SH: epidemiology; etiology RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 11357544 TI: Khat (Catha edulis) consumption causes genotoxic effects in humans. AU: Kassie,-F; Darroudi,-F; Kundi,-M; Schulte-Hermann,-R; Knasmuller,-S AD: Institute of Cancer Research, Vienna, Austria. SO: Int-J-Cancer. 2001 May 1; 92(3): 329-32 IS: 0020-7136 PY: 2001 LA: English CP: United-States AB: We used the micronucleus (MN) test to determine the genetic damage caused by khat, a widely consumed psychostimulant plant, in exfoliated cells of volunteers who chewed the drug on a regular basis. In the first study in which we compared the frequency of MN in buccal and bladder mucosa cells in 20 khat consumers (10-160 g/day) and 10 controls, a pronounced (8-fold) increase in micronucleated buccal mucosa cells was seen among khat consumers; khat consumption did not lead to a detectable elevation of micronucleated bladder mucosa cells. Among heavy khat chewers, 81% of the MN had a centromere signal indicating that khat is aneuploidogenic. To investigate the effect of simultaneous consumption of tobacco and alcoholic beverages, we compared the MN frequency in buccal cells of 25 khat consumers (20-85 g/day) who smoked cigarettes (15-60/day) and drank alcoholic beverages (15-80 g of pure ethanol/day) with a control group (control group I) of 25 individuals matched for age, body weight, tobacco and alcohol consumption and with another control group of 25 individuals (control group II) not consuming any of the drugs. The frequency of buccal mucosa cells with MN was higher in control group I than in group II and the effect of khat, tobacco and alcohol was found to be additive. A time-kinetics study on khat-induced MN showed that the highest frequency of MN was observed during the fourth week after consumption. In light of the large body of evidence on the close association between genetic damage and cancer, these results suggest that khat consumption, especially when accompanied by alcohol and tobacco consumption, might be a potential cause of oral malignancy. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. MESH: *Micronuclei-drug-effects; *Mouth-Mucosa-drug-effects; *Plant-Extractstoxicity MESH: Adult-; Catha-; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-toxicity; Micronucleus-Tests; Mouth-Mucosa-cytology; Mutagenicity-Tests TG: Human; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: toxicity; drug-effects; cytology RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 11291066 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat induced hemorrhoidal disease in Yemen. AU: Al-Hadrani,-A-M AD: Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Sana'a University, Sana'a, Republic of Yemen. [email protected] SO: Saudi-Med-J. 2000 May; 21(5): 475-7 IS: 0379-5284 PY: 2000 LA: English CP: Saudi-Arabia AB: OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential association between the habit of khat chewing and the development of hemorrhoidal disease METHODS: Four hundred and seventy four individuals (373 men and 101 women) with ages ranging from 17 to 80 years were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 (n=247) chronic khat chewers. Group 2 (n=200) non-khat chewers. Data was collected regarding chewing habits, colorectal symptoms, abdominal, proctoscopic, and operative findings. RESULTS: The key difference between the 2 groups was the incidence of hemorrhoids and hemorrhoidectomy. In the chronic khat chewers group: 169 (62%) had hemorrhoids. Of these 124 (45.4%) underwent hemorrhoidectomy. In the control group there is 8 (4%) had hemorrhoids and one patient underwent hemorrhoidectomy (0.5%). P-value (0.05). CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated a significant association between the habit of khat chewing and the development of hemorrhoidal disease. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-adverse-effects; *Hemorrhoidschemically-induced; *Plant-Extracts-adverse-effects; *Substance-Related-Disorderscomplications MESH: Adolescent-; Adult-; Aged-; Aged,-80-and-over; Case-Control-Studies; Catha-; Chronic-Disease; Constipation-chemically-induced; Constipation-complications; Developing-Countries; Hemorrhoids-epidemiology; Hemorrhoids-surgery; Incidence-; Middle-Age; Risk-Factors; Sex-Distribution; Yemen-epidemiology TG: Female; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: adverse-effects; chemically-induced; complications; epidemiology; surgery RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 11500685 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat chewing is a risk factor of duodenal ulcer. AU: Raja'a,-Y-A; Noman,-T-A; Al-Warafi,-A-K; Al-Mashraki,-N-A; Al-Yosofi,-A-M SO: Saudi-Med-J. 2000 Sep; 21(9): 887-8 IS: 0379-5284 PY: 2000 LA: English CP: Saudi-Arabia MESH: *Duodenal-Ulcer-chemically-induced; *Plant-Extracts-adverse-effects MESH: Catha-; Risk-Factors; YemenTG: Human PT: Letter SH: chemically-induced; adverse-effects RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 11376372 TI: The magnitude of khat use and its association with health, nutrition and socioeconomic status. AU: Belew,-M; Kebede,-D; Kassaye,-M; Enquoselassie,-F AD: Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa. SO: Ethiop-Med-J. 2000 Jan; 38(1): 11-26 IS: 0014-1755 PY: 2000 LA: English CP: Ethiopia AB: Although the literature on khat (Catha edulis Forsk) is fairly extensive, and several authors have stated the potential adverse effects of habitual use of khat on mental, physical and social well-being, very few population based studies exist to substantiate those statements in Ethiopia. A house-to-house survey of a representative sample of 1200 adults from a rural Ethiopian community was conducted from January to September of 1997 to determine the prevalence of khat use and its association with health, nutritional status, mental distress, substance use, family and social functioning and economic wellbeing. The current prevalence of khat chewing was found to be 31.7%. Muslims more than Christians, males more than females, those between the ages 15 and 34 years more than other age groups were habitual users. The following factors were found to be significantly associated with khat use: physical illness, (OR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.14-2.02); injuries (OR = 2.31, 95% CI = 1.42-3.79), undernutrition (OR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.242.48), mental distress (OR = 8.30, 95% CI = 5.20-13.31). Family functioning among current khat users was significantly higher than non users (OR = 1.56, 95%-CI = 1.042.28). Social functioning and economic well-being were not significantly associated with khat use. It is concluded that a fairly large proportion of the population consumes khat and that this is related to physical and mental ill-health, although family and social functioning, and economic well-being seem to be unrelated to khat use. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-adverse-effects; *Health-Status; *Nutritional-Status; *Plant-Extracts-adverse-effects; *Poverty-statistics-and-numericaldata; *Substance-Related-Disorders-complications; *Substance-Related-Disordersepidemiology MESH: Adolescent-; Adult-; Age-Distribution; Catha-; Cross-Sectional-Studies; Ethiopia-epidemiology; Knowledge,-Attitudes,-Practice; Mental-Health; Middle-Age; Prevalence-; Questionnaires-; Rural-Health-statistics-and-numerical-data; SexDistribution TG: Female; Human; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: adverse-effects; epidemiology; statistics-and-numerical-data; complications RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 11144876 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Phencyclidine, ketamine, and khat phencyclidine (PCP, DOA, 'angel dust', 'crystal', 'hog') AU: O'Shea,-B SO: Ir-Med-J. 2000 Sep; 93(6): 185 IS: 0332-3102 PY: 2000 LA: English CP: IRELAND MESH: *Hallucinogens-pharmacology; *Phencyclidine-pharmacology MESH: Anesthetics,-Dissociative-pharmacology; Anesthetics,-Dissociativepoisoning; Catha-; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-pharmacology; Hallucinogenspoisoning; Ketamine-pharmacology; Ketamine-poisoning; Phencyclidine-poisoning; Phencyclidine-Abuse-therapy; Plant-Extracts-pharmacology TG: Human PT: Letter SH: pharmacology; poisoning; therapy RN: 0; 0; 0; 0; 6740-88-1; 77-10-1 NM: Anesthetics,-Dissociative; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Hallucinogens; Plant-Extracts; Ketamine; Phencyclidine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 11105446 TI: Acute Fasciola hepatica infection attributed to chewing khat. AU: Cats,-A; Scholten,-P; Meuwissen,-S-G; Kuipers,-E-J AD: Department of Gastroenterology Academic Hospital Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands. [email protected] SO: Gut. 2000 Oct; 47(4): 584-5 IS: 0017-5749 PY: 2000 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Angiosperms-parasitology; *Anthelmintics-therapeutic-use; *Benzimidazoles-therapeutic-use; *Fascioliasis-drug-therapy MESH: Adult-; Fascioliasis-transmission; Treatment-Outcome TG: Case-Report; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: parasitology; therapeutic-use; drug-therapy; transmission RN: 0; 0; 68786-66-3 NM: Anthelmintics; Benzimidazoles; triclabendazole SB: Abridged-Index-Medicus; Index-Medicus UD: 20011102 AN: 10986222 TI: Constipating and spasmolytic effects of Khat (Catha edulis Forsk) in experimental animals. AU: Makonnen,-E AD: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Addis Ababa University. [email protected] SO: Phytomedicine. 2000 Jul; 7(4): 309-12 IS: 0944-7113 PY: 2000 LA: English CP: GERMANY AB: The constipating and spasmolytic effects of Catha edulis Forsk (Khat) were investigated in whole mice and on isolated guinea pig ileum. D-amphetamine was employed in both experiments for comparison. The total distance travelled (expressed in percentage) by charcoal suspension in the gastrointestinal tract of mice was determined before and after khat administration. The procedure was repeated with amphetamine and normal saline. The results were compared. Amplitudes of contraction were recorded with standard spasmogens, histamine and carbachol, in the presence and absence of khat extract of different concentrations. The same was done with amphetamine. Khat extract was observed to reduce the total distance travelled by charcoal suspension, comparable to D-amphetamine. The spasmogenic effects of both histamine and carbachol were observed to be antagonized by the khat extract in a concentration-dependent manner. The antispasmodic effect of khat extract was observed to be similar to that of D-amphetamine. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-pharmacology; *Constipationchemically-induced; *Gastrointestinal-Motility-drug-effects; *Ileum-drug-effects; *Parasympatholytics-pharmacology; *Plant-Extracts-pharmacology MESH: Catha-; Disease-Models,-Animal; Dose-Response-Relationship,-Drug; Guinea-Pigs; Ileum-physiology; MiceTG: Animal PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; chemically-induced; drug-effects; physiology RN: 0; 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Parasympatholytics; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 10969725 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Women's rights, a tourist boom, and the power of khat in Yemen. AU: Kandela,-P SO: Lancet. 2000 Apr 22; 355(9213): 1437 IS: 0140-6736 PY: 2000 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; *Health-Policy; *Plant-Extracts; *Social-Change; *Substance-Related-Disorders-epidemiology; *Women's-Rights MESH: Catha-; Industry-; Travel-; Yemen-epidemiology TG: Female; Human; Male PT: News SH: epidemiology RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Abridged-Index-Medicus; Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 10791536 TI: Fluoride content in khat (Catha edulis) chewing leaves. AU: Hattab,-F-N; Angmar-Mansson,-B AD: Department of Restorative, Faculty of Dentistry, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid. SO: Arch-Oral-Biol. 2000 Mar; 45(3): 253-5 IS: 0003-9969 PY: 2000 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: Khat (qat) leaves are chewed for their psychostimulative effects; there is an unconfirmed suggestion that they contain a high concentration of fluoride (F). Khat samples from Yemen were suspended in deionized water, spun, and the supernatants exposed to a chelator that decomplexes F, which was assayed with an F(-)-electrode coupled to an ion analyser. F released into whole saliva after chewing khat for 15 min and from khat suspended in stimulated whole saliva for 1.5 h in vitro was measured also. Total F in dried khat leaves and their ash was assayed by the acid-hexamethyldisiloxane microdiffusion method. All methods demonstrated negligible amounts of F in or from khat leaves (<0.02 microg F/ml leached into water or saliva; 0.06 microg F/ml in saliva after chewing; 0.93 microg total F/g in dried leaf, 2.07 microg total F/g in ash). MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-chemistry; *Fluorides-analysis; *Plant-Extracts-chemistry MESH: Catha-; Saliva-chemistry TG: Human PT: Journal-Article SH: chemistry; analysis RN: 0; 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Fluorides; Plant-Extracts SB: Dental; Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 10761879 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Comparison of analgesic effects of khat (Catha edulis Forsk) extract, Damphetamine and ibuprofen in mice. AU: Connor,-J; Makonnen,-E; Rostom,-A AD: Department of Pharmacology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey 17033, USA. SO: J-Pharm-Pharmacol. 2000 Jan; 52(1): 107-10 IS: 0022-3573 PY: 2000 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: We have compared the analgesic properties of khat (Catha edulis Forsk) extract, amphetamine and ibuprofen in mice. After intragastric administration of the drugs analgesia was measured relative to water-injected controls using the hot-plate, the tailflick, and abdominal-constriction tests. At the highest doses examined (amphetamine 1.8 mg kg(-1), ibuprofen 90 mg kg(-1), khat extract 1800 mg kg(-1)), all three substances produced analgesia, but the order of efficacy varied with the test. Khat and ibuprofen were significantly different from the control in the hot-plate assay at three or more time points post-injection. In the tail-flick test, khat and amphetamine were efficacious; ibuprofen means were somewhat lower but still significantly different from control. Higher doses of the drugs decreased the number of responses in the acetic acid-induced abdominal-constriction assay. We conclude that khat, like amphetamine and ibuprofen, can relieve pain. Differences in assay results may reflect differences in modes and sites of action, as well as in the type of pain generated by the chemical and thermal stimuli for nociception. MESH: *Amphetamine-therapeutic-use; *Analgesia-; *Analgesics-therapeuticuse; *Ibuprofen-therapeutic-use; *Pain-drug-therapy; *Plant-Extracts-therapeutic-use MESH: Acetic-Acid; Catha-; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-therapeutic-use; Dose-Response-Relationship,-Drug; Heat-adverse-effects; Mice-; Pain-chemicallyinduced; Pain-etiology TG: Animal; Comparative-Study; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't; Support,-U.S.Gov't,-Non-P.H.S. PT: Journal-Article SH: therapeutic-use; adverse-effects; chemically-induced; drug-therapy; etiology RN: 0; 0; 0; 15687-27-1; 300-62-9; 64-19-7 NM: Analgesics; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts; Ibuprofen; Amphetamine; Acetic-Acid SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 10716611 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Cathinone (Khat) and methcathinone (CAT) in urine specimens: a gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric detection procedure. AU: Paul,-B-D; Cole,-K-A AD: Division of Forensic Toxicology, Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rockville, Maryland 20850, USA. SO: J-Anal-Toxicol. 2001 Oct; 25(7): 525-30 IS: 0146-4760 PY: 2001 LA: English CP: United-States AB: A gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric procedure for detection of cathinone (Khat) and methcathinone (CAT) in urine was developed. The compounds were detected as 4-carboethoxyhexafluorobutyryl derivatives. Three ions for the drugs and two ions for the internal standards were monitored. The drugs were identified by comparing retention times and ion ratios with that of reference compounds. The concentrations were measured by using amphetamine-d6 as internal standard for cathinone and methamphetamine-d9 as internal standard for methcathinone, and were linear over the range of 25-5000 ng/mL for cathinone and 12.5-5000 ng/mL for methcathinone. The overall recoveries of cathinone and methcathinone were 86 and 78%, respectively. Intrarun and inter-run variations were < 20%. To verify that the drugs are not metabolites of over-the-counter medications, cathinone and methcathinone were tested in urine specimens collected from individuals who ingested phenylpropanolamine and pseudoephedrine. None of the specimens showed the keto-amines as the metabolic products. When the procedure was applied to test 66 amphetamine-immunoassay-positive specimens containing no amphetamine or methamphetamine, two specimens were found positive for cathinone (118 and 3266 ng/mL) and six specimens were found positive for methcathinone (13-91 ng/mL). MESH: *Alkaloids-urine; *Propiophenones-urine; *Psychotropic-Drugs-urine MESH: Amphetamine-urine; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-urine; Immunoassay-; Mass-Fragmentography; Sensitivity-and-Specificity; Substance-AbuseDetection-methods TG: Human PT: Journal-Article SH: urine; methods RN: 0; 0; 0; 0; 300-62-9; 5265-18-9; 5650-44-2 NM: Alkaloids; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Propiophenones; PsychotropicDrugs; Amphetamine; cathinone; monomethylpropion SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20020228 AN: 11599595 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: The effect of chewing Khat leaves on human mood. AU: Hassan,-N-A; Gunaid,-A-A; El-Khally,-F-M; Murray-Lyon,-I-M AD: Departments of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sana'a, PO Box 14315 (MAAIN), Sana'a, Republic of Yemen. [email protected] SO: Saudi-Med-J. 2002 Jul; 23(7): 850-3 IS: 0379-5284 PY: 2002 LA: English CP: Saudi-Arabia AB: OBJECTIVE: Chewing fresh leaves of the Khat plant (Catha edulis), represents a widespread habit with a deep-rooted sociocultural tradition in Yemen. Khat is chewed for its central stimulant properties and to dispel feeling of fatigue and its use is believed to be associated with disturbance of mood. We studied the effect of chewing Khat leaves on human mood by using a standard questionnaire method, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sana'a during the period January to June 2000. It comprised of 200 healthy volunteers, interviewed on 2 occasions a week apart. Subjects either chewed Khat at least 3 hours daily for 3 days or abstained from chewing for at least 7 days prior to mood assessment using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale. Subjects were studied in random order. RESULTS: Using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale, there was a significant increase (P<0.0001) of median score on the scale indicating mood disturbance during the Khat-arm of the study as compared to the control-arm. The effect was particularly evident shortly after the Khat session. Reactive depression symptoms were predominant. CONCLUSION: Khat chewing did result in functional mood disorder. This effect is believed to be caused by the sympathomimetic action of cathinone on the central nervous system. The clinical implication of this study is that Khat-chewing might exacerbate symptoms in patients with pre-existing psychiatric disease. MESH: *Affect-; *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-pharmacology; *MoodDisorders-etiology; *Plant-Extracts MESH: Adult-; Case-Control-Studies; CathaTG: Human; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; etiology RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021009 AN: 12174239 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat chewing and acute myocardial infarction. AU: Al-Motarreb,-A; Al-Kebsi,-M; Al-Adhi,-B; Broadley,-K-J SO: Heart. 2002 Mar; 87(3): 279-80 IS: 1468-201X PY: 2002 LA: English CP: England MESH: *Catha-adverse-effects; *Myocardial-Infarction-etiology; *Plant-Leavesadverse-effects MESH: Adult-; Aged-; Circadian-Rhythm; Creatine-Kinase-blood; LactateDehydrogenase-blood; Middle-Age; Myocardial-Infarction-blood; Prospective-Studies; Risk-Factors; Time-Factors TG: Female; Human; Male PT: Letter SH: adverse-effects; blood; etiology RN: EC 1.1.1.27; EC 2.7.3.2 NM: Lactate-Dehydrogenase; Creatine-Kinase SB: Abridged-Index-Medicus; Index-Medicus UD: 20020226 AN: 11847175 TI: Leukoencephalopathy associated with khat misuse. AU: Morrish,-P-K; Nicolaou,-N; Brakkenberg,-P; Smith,-P-E SO: J-Neurol-Neurosurg-Psychiatry. 1999 Oct; 67(4): 556 IS: 0022-3050 PY: 1999 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-adverse-effects; *Leukoencephalopathy,-Progressive-Multifocal-complications; *Plant-Extractsadverse-effects MESH: Brain-pathology; Catha-; Leukoencephalopathy,-ProgressiveMultifocal-pathology; Magnetic-Resonance-Imaging; Middle-Age TG: Case-Report; Human; Male PT: Letter SH: pathology; adverse-effects; complications RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 10610394 TI: Between myth and madness: the premigration dream of leaving among young Somali refugees. AU: Rousseau,-C; Said,-T-M; Gagne,-M-J; Bibeau,-G AD: Department of Psychiatry, Montreal Children's Hospital, Quebec, Canada. SO: Cult-Med-Psychiatry. 1998 Dec; 22(4): 385-411 IS: 0165-005X PY: 1998 LA: English CP: NETHERLANDS AB: Many young Somali refugees experience long premigration waits and a poorly delimited transition period in a succession of countries before reaching their final destination. During this difficult passage, a myth dealing with departure and exodus is collectively constructed, and it serves as a dynamic, mobilizing dream that orients individual strategies. This substitution of "dream travel" for real travel during the transition period, especially if it is prolonged, may cause Somali youths to lose contact with reality and eventually to slide into madness. The authors' approach is based on three assumptions: (a) that pastoralism predisposes the Somali to value travel as a way of maturing, (b) that age-based peer groups create special migratory dynamics, and (c) that an ethic of solidarity involves many people in the adventure of a migrant youth. When trapped in an indefinite transition period, young men share khat-chewing sessions during which they relate success stories and dreams of leaving. Many grow frustrated with the delay, and if their departure plans fall through, the "dream trip" often becomes "dream madness." Actual cases illustrate how some young Somali get lost in their dreams. A young Somali's vulnerability is heightened when he extricates himself from the system of reciprocal obligations or when the liminal stage ends with the mourning of the impossible dream. In the universe of madness visited by some young Somali migrants, the boundaries between the real and the imaginary are poorly marked. The paper is based on fieldwork carried out in the Horn of Africa and in Canada, interviews with Somali immigrants and members of the community, and clinical psychiatric data collected in Montreal. MESH: *Dreams-; *Emigration-and-Immigration; *Mental-Disordersethnology; *Refugees-psychology MESH: Adaptation,-Psychological; Adult-; Mental-Disorders-psychology; Somalia-; Time-Factors TG: Case-Report; Female; Human; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: ethnology; psychology SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 10063465 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Genetic toxicology of abused drugs: a brief review. AU: Li,-J-H; Lin,-L-F AD: National Narcotics Bureau, Department of Health, Executive Yuan (Cabinet), Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. [email protected] SO: Mutagenesis. 1998 Nov; 13(6): 557-65 IS: 0267-8357 PY: 1998 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: Although numerous studies have been conducted on abused drugs, most focus on the problems of addiction (dependence) and their neurotoxicities. Now accumulated data have demonstrated that the genotoxicity and/or carcinogenicity of abused drugs can also be detrimental to our health. In this review, commonly abused substances, including LSD, opiates (diacetylmorphine, morphine, opium and codeine), cocaine, cannabis, betel quid and khat, are discussed for their potential genotoxicity/carcinogenicity. The available literature in the field, although not as abundant as for neurotoxicity, clearly indicates the capability of abused drugs to induce genotoxicity. MESH: *Carcinogens-adverse-effects; *Carcinogens-toxicity; *ChromosomeAberrations; *Mutagens-adverse-effects; *Mutagens-toxicity; *Street-Drugsadverse-effects; *Street-Drugs-toxicity MESH: Areca-adverse-effects; Areca-toxicity; Cannabis-adverse-effects; Cannabis-toxicity; Cocaine-adverse-effects; Cocaine-toxicity; Lysergic-AcidDiethylamide-adverse-effects; Lysergic-Acid-Diethylamide-toxicity; MutagenicityTests; Narcotics-adverse-effects; Narcotics-toxicity; Neoplasms-etiology; Plants,Medicinal; Risk-Assessment; Substance-Related-Disorders-complications TG: Animal; Human; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article; Review; Review,-Tutorial SH: adverse-effects; toxicity; etiology; complications RN: 0; 0; 0; 0; 50-36-2; 50-37-3 NM: Carcinogens; Mutagens; Narcotics; Street-Drugs; Cocaine; Lysergic-AcidDiethylamide SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20011128 AN: 9862186 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: The khat-chewing elderly. AU: Salib,-E; Ahmed,-A-G SO: Int-J-Geriatr-Psychiatry. 1998 Jul; 13(7): 493-4 IS: 0885-6230 PY: 1998 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-pharmacology; *Cognitiondrug-effects; *Mental-Disorders-epidemiology; *Plant-Extracts-pharmacology MESH: Aged-; Catha-; England-epidemiology; Mental-Disorders-chemicallyinduced; Middle-Age; Somalia-ethnology TG: Human; Male PT: Letter SH: pharmacology; drug-effects; epidemiology; chemically-induced; ethnology RN: NM: SB: UD: AN: 0; 0 Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts Index-Medicus 20021101 9695040 TI: Determination of (S)(-)-cathinone by spectrophotometric detection. AU: al-Obaid,-A-M; al-Tamrah,-S-A; Aly,-F-A; Alwarthan,-A-A AD: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. SO: J-Pharm-Biomed-Anal. 1998 Jun; 17(2): 321-6 IS: 0731-7085 PY: 1998 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: Previous studies on the Khat plant (Catha edulis, Celastraceae) illustrated the importance of using freshly harvested young shoots and leaves such that cathinone, the principle active component and Schedule I controlled drug contained within the plant, could be suitably isolated and identified. The purpose of this work was to develop a quantitative analytical technique for the determination of cathinone. The proposed method is based on treating the reductant cathinone with copper(II)-neocuproine reagent in sodium acetate-buffered medium followed by measuring the absorbance of the copper(I)-neocuproine complex at 455 nm. The calibration plot is linear in the range 0.08-25 micrograms ml-1 with a detection limit of 0.08 microgram ml-1. The precision of the method, expressed as the relative standard deviation, is 1.35% for 10 micrograms ml-1 cathinone. Good recoveries have been obtained in applying the method to the analysis of cathinone in Khat leaves. MESH: *Alkaloids-analysis; *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-analysis; *Psychotropic-Drugs-analysis MESH: Buffers-; Copper-chemistry; Drug-Stability; Phenanthrolineschemistry; Plant-Extracts-analysis; Plant-Leaves; Spectrophotometry-methods PT: Journal-Article SH: analysis; chemistry; methods RN: 0; 0; 0; 0; 0; 0; 484-11-7; 5265-18-9; 7440-50-8 NM: Alkaloids; Buffers; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Phenanthrolines; Plant-Extracts; Psychotropic-Drugs; neocuproine; cathinone; Copper SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 9638585 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: The khat users: a study of khat chewing in Liverpool's Somali men. AU: Ahmed,-A-G; Salib,-E AD: Saskatchewan Hospital, North Battleford, Canada. SO: Med-Sci-Law. 1998 Apr; 38(2): 165-9 IS: 0025-8024 PY: 1998 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: This study reports the demographic and social characteristics and level of psychological dysfunction in regular khat users compared with matched non-users. The results indicate that khat users resemble non-users on a number of psychosocial variables and GHQ scores, with no evidence to suggest higher morbidity amongst users. The two groups appear to differ only in the level of their use of nicotine and also in their perception of the harmful effects associated with khat use. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; *Plant-Extracts; *SubstanceRelated-Disorders-epidemiology MESH: Adolescent-; Adult-; Aged-; Catha-; England-epidemiology; MiddleAge; Socioeconomic-Factors; Somalia-ethnology; Substance-Related-Disorderspsychology TG: Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: epidemiology; ethnology; psychology RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 9604657 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Episode psychotique aigu induit par le Qat. [Acute Khat-induced psychotic crisis] AU: Mion,-G; Ruttimann,-M; Oberti,-M; Aversenq,-C SO: Ann-Fr-Anesth-Reanim. 1997; 16(2): 201-2 IS: 0750-7658 PY: 1997 LA: French; Non-English CP: FRANCE MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-adverse-effects; *PlantExtracts-adverse-effects; *Psychoses,-Substance-Induced-etiology MESH: Acute-Disease; Adult-; Plant-Leaves-adverse-effects TG: Case-Report; Human; Male PT: Letter SH: adverse-effects; etiology RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 9686083 TI: Khat induced psychosis and its medico-legal implication: a case report. AU: Alem,-A; Shibre,-T AD: Amanuel Hospital, Addis Ababa. SO: Ethiop-Med-J. 1997 Apr; 35(2): 137-9 IS: 0014-1755 PY: 1997 LA: English CP: ETHIOPIA AB: It has been established that khat plant leaves (Catha edulis forsk) contain an active psychostimulant substance known as Cathinone that is similar in structure and pharmacological activity to amphetamine. There have been no previously reported cases of khat induced psychosis in Ethiopia despite heavy consumption of khat in most parts of the country. We report here a case of brief and episodic psychosis attributed to heavy khat chewing. We maintain that khat leaf is a substance of abuse and that Khat chewing has the potential to complicate psychiatric conditions and forensic events. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-adverse-effects; *PlantExtracts-adverse-effects; *Psychoses,-Substance-Induced-etiology MESH: Catha-; Ethiopia-; Homicide-legislation-and-jurisprudence; MiddleAge; Psychoses,-Substance-Induced-diagnosis; Social-Responsibility; ViolenceTG: Case-Report; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: adverse-effects; legislation-and-jurisprudence; diagnosis; etiology RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 9577014 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Renocolic fistula as a complication to xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis. AU: Majeed,-H-A; Mohammed,-K-A; Salman,-H-A AD: Al Sabah Hospital, Sulaibi Khat, Kuwait. SO: Singapore-Med-J. 1997 Mar; 38(3): 116-9 IS: 0037-5675 PY: 1997 LA: English CP: SINGAPORE AB: Four patients with xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis were found to have renocolic fistulae. Coincidentally, the left kidney was involved in all four cases. All patients presented with renal mass. Two cases have had coexistent renal stones, one of them presented with massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding as a result of portal hypertension. Another patient had a history of Schistosomiasis. In none of the patients was the renal condition confidently diagnosed preoperatively, nor was the colonic fistula suspected. In all four patients, nephrectomy was performed together with resection of the involved colon followed by a satisfactory recovery. The possibility of a colonic fistula should be kept in mind as a complication to this rare renal condition in spite of the absence of colonic symptoms and normal finding in barium enema studies. MESH: *Colic-etiology; *Kidney-Diseases-etiology; *Pyelonephritis,Xanthogranulomatous-complications; *Urinary-Fistula-etiology MESH: Adult-; Colic-diagnosis; Emergencies-; Gastrointestinal-Hemorrhagediagnosis; Kidney-Calculi-diagnosis; Kidney-Calculi-etiology; Kidney-Diseasesdiagnosis; Middle-Age; Pyelonephritis,-Xanthogranulomatous-diagnosis; UrinaryFistula-diagnosis TG: Case-Report; Female; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article; Review; Review-of-Reported-Cases SH: diagnosis; etiology; complications SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 9269378 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Use of drugs at 'raves'. AU: Brown,-E-R; Jarvie,-D-R; Simpson,-D AD: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh. SO: Scott-Med-J. 1995 Dec; 40(6): 168-71 IS: 0036-9330 PY: 1995 LA: English CP: SCOTLAND AB: Widespread use of drugs at the currently popular 'raves' has caused concern principally because of an increasing number of cases of serious toxicity and even death. The availability and use of drugs at raves, mainly in the Edinburgh area, have been investigated and self-reported use of drugs compared with results of urine screening. Use of Ecstasy and LSD have been confirmed and there is evidence to support the use of Khat. A new preparation, Herbal Ecstasy, is readily available at Edinburgh raves and appears to be widely used. All urines tested positive for one or more drugs or drug metabolites and in general analytical results correlated well with self-reported use of drugs. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-administration-and-dosage; *Designer-Drugs-administration-and-dosage; *Hallucinogens-administration-anddosage; *Substance-Related-Disorders-urine MESH: 3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine-administration-and-dosage; 3,4Methylenedioxyamphetamine-analogs-and-derivatives; Adolescent-; Adult-; Catha-; Dancing-; Lysergic-Acid-Diethylamide-administration-and-dosage; N-Methyl-3,4methylenedioxyamphetamine-administration-and-dosage; Plant-Extractsadministration-and-dosage; Questionnaires-; Scotland-epidemiology; SubstanceRelated-Disorders-epidemiology TG: Female; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: administration-and-dosage; analogs-and-derivatives; epidemiology; urine RN: 0; 0; 0; 0; 42542-10-9; 4764-17-4; 50-37-3; 82801-81-8 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Designer-Drugs; Hallucinogens; PlantExtracts; N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine; 3,4- Methylenedioxyamphetamine; Lysergic-Acid-Diethylamide; 3,4methylenedioxyethamphetamine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 8693332 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Plasma cathinone levels following chewing khat leaves (Catha edulis Forsk.). AU: Halket,-J-M; Karasu,-Z; Murray-Lyon,-I-M AD: Bioanalytical Unit, Bernhard Baron Memorial Research Laboratories, London, UK. SO: J-Ethnopharmacol. 1995 Dec 1; 49(2): 111-3 IS: 0378-8741 PY: 1995 LA: English CP: IRELAND MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-metabolism; *Plant-Extractsmetabolism MESH: Adult-; Catha-; MasticationTG: Female; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: metabolism RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 8847883 TI: Deleterious effects of khat addiction on semen parameters and sperm ultrastructure. AU: el-Shoura,-S-M; Abdel-Aziz,-M; Ali,-M-E; el-Said,-M-M; Ali,-K-Z; Kemeir,M-A; Raoof,-A-M; Allam,-M; Elmalik,-E-M AD: Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. SO: Hum-Reprod. 1995 Sep; 10(9): 2295-300 IS: 0268-1161 PY: 1995 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: The semen parameters and sperm ultrastructural morphology have been described in semen samples from two groups of Yemeni subjects. The first 'exposed' group comprised 65 khat addicts, while the second control group included 50 nonkhat addict subjects. The mean age was 39.94 +/- 13.85 and 35.72 +/- 11.35 years in the exposed and control groups respectively, without a significant difference. The mean duration of khat addiction among the addicts was 25.34 +/- 12.96 years (range 6.00-48.00). Statistically significant differences were detected between the semen parameters of the two groups. Such parameters, including semen volume, sperm count, sperm motility, motility index and percentage of normal spermatozoa, were lower among addicts. Significant negative correlation was also found between the duration of khat consumption and all semen parameters (r ranged from -0.30 to 0.74). At the transmission electron microscopy level, a counting system was incorporated to compare the numbers of normal spermatozoa with deformed and dead spermatozoa in ultrathin plastic sections. The total mean percentage of deformed spermatozoa was approximately 65%. Different patterns of sperm deformation were demonstrated, and included both the head and flagella in complete spermatozoa, aflagellate heads, headless flagella and multiple heads and flagella. Deformed heads showed aberrated nuclei with immature nuclear chromatin and polymorphic intranuclear inclusions; these were associated with acrosomal defects. The deformed flagella demonstrated numeric aberrations of the axonemal 9 + 2 configuration and structural defects of their associated elements. Persistent cytoplasmic droplets were observed frequently. This study has shown for the first time the deleterious effects of khat addiction on semen parameters in general and sperm morphology in particular of all addicts, especially those who have consumed khat for longer periods of time. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; *Infertility,-Male-chemicallyinduced; *Plant-Extracts; *Semen-; *Spermatozoa-ultrastructure; *SubstanceRelated-Disorders-complications MESH: Acrosome-ultrastructure; Adult-; Axons-ultrastructure; Catha-; Infertility,-Male-pathology; Infertility,-Male-physiopathology; Microtubulesultrastructure; Middle-Age; Mitochondria-ultrastructure; Sperm-Count; SpermHead-ultrastructure; Sperm-Motility; Sperm-Tail-ultrastructure; Spermatozoaabnormalities; Spermatozoa-physiology; YemenTG: Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: ultrastructure; chemically-induced; pathology; physiopathology; abnormalities; physiology; complications RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 8530655 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat chewing as a cause of psychosis. AU: Yousef,-G; Huq,-Z; Lambert,-T AD: Park Royal Mental Health Unit, Central Middlesex Hospital, London. SO: Br-J-Hosp-Med. 1995 Oct 4-17; 54(7): 322-6 IS: 0007-1064 PY: 1995 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: It is well established that psychosis may arise in the context of abuse of certain illicit drugs (e.g. amphetamine). This article reviews the effects of chewing the plant khat and outlines the pharmacological aspects, the dependence issue and a comparative study between previously reported cases and four cases reported here to highlight the epidemiology, clinical features and prognosis of khat-induced psychosis. MESH: *Plant-Leaves-chemistry; *Psychoses,-Substance-Induced-etiology MESH: Adult-; Great-Britain-ethnology; SomaliaTG: Case-Report; Female; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: ethnology; chemistry; etiology SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 8556211 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: The association between oral leukoplakia and use of tobacco, alcohol and khat based on relative risks assessment in Kenya. AU: Macigo,-F-G; Mwaniki,-D-L; Guthua,-S-W AD: University of Nairobi, College of Health Sciences, Department of Dental Surgery, Kenya. SO: Eur-J-Oral-Sci. 1995 Oct; 103(5): 268-73 IS: 0909-8836 PY: 1995 LA: English CP: DENMARK AB: A case-control study was conducted to determine the significance of tobacco, alcohol and khat (Catha edulis) chewing habits in the development of oral leukoplakia among Kenyans aged 15 yr and over. In a house-to-house survey, 85 cases and 141 controls matched for sex, age and cluster origin was identified and compared for these risk factors. Smoking unprocessed tobacco (Kiraiku) with a relative risk (RR) of 10.0 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.9-38.4) and smoking cigarettes (RR = 8.4; 95% CI = 4.1-17.4) were the most significant factors. While the RR associated with smoking cigarettes alone was 4.5 (95% CI = 1.9-10.8), smoking of both products (RR = 15.2) suggested probable synergy or additive effects. Oral leukoplakia in 18 cases could not be attributed to smoking tobacco. Commercial beer, wines and spirits were relatively weak, but statistically significant, risk factors. Traditional beer, khat and chilies were not significantly associated with oral leukoplakia. MESH: *Alcohol-Drinking-adverse-effects; *Leukoplakia,-Oral-etiology; *Plant-Extracts-adverse-effects; *Plants,-Toxic; *Smoking-adverse-effects; *TobaccoMESH: Adolescent-; Adult-; Age-Factors; Aged-; Catha-; Chi-SquareDistribution; Kenya-epidemiology; Leukoplakia,-Oral-epidemiology; Middle-Age; Risk-Assessment; Sex-Ratio TG: Female; Human; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: adverse-effects; epidemiology; etiology RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Dental; Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 8521116 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Effect of (-)-cathinone, a psychoactive alkaloid from khat (Catha edulis Forsk.) and caffeine on sexual behaviour in rats. AU: Taha,-S-A; Ageel,-A-M; Islam,-M-W; Ginawi,-O-T AD: Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. SO: Pharmacol-Res. 1995 May; 31(5): 299-303 IS: 1043-6618 PY: 1995 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: The effect of (-)-cathinone, caffeine and their combinations was studied on the sexual behaviour of male rats. Male sexual activities were assessed by recording the erectile responses (grooming of genitalis, yawning/stretching and homosexual mounting), in the absence of females. The copulatory behaviour was observed by caging males with receptive females brought into oestrus with s.c. injection of oestradiol benzoate and progesterone. The copulatory pattern of male rats (mounting, intromissions, ejaculations and refractory period) was recorded. The oral treatment of cathinone (5 mg kg-1 day-1), caffeine (50 mg kg-1 day-1) and their combinations for 15 days increased arousal (motivation) in male rats as evidenced by increased mounting performance and anogenital investigatory behaviour. However, erectile and ejaculatory responses, measured in the present study, showed no stimulant effect. It is conceivable from the present results that cathinone, the psychostimulant constituent of khat modified masculine pattern behaviour and caffeine also changed the effect of cathinone when administered concomitantly. However, our data provide no evidence that cathinone could be considered as an aphrodisiac. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Penile-Erection-drug-effects; *SexBehavior,-Animal-drug-effects MESH: Administration,-Oral; Caffeine-pharmacology; Catha-; CentralNervous-System-Stimulants-pharmacology; Motor-Activity-drug-effects; PlantExtracts-pharmacology; Rats-; Rats,-Wistar; Time-Factors TG: Animal; Female; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 0; 0; 5265-18-9; 58-08-2 NM: Alkaloids; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts; cathinone; Caffeine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 7479527 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Undetected neuropsychophysiological sequelae of khat chewing in standard aviation medical examination. AU: Khattab,-N-Y; Amer,-G AD: Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shibin El-Koum, Egypt. SO: Aviat-Space-Environ-Med. 1995 Aug; 66(8): 739-44 IS: 0095-6562 PY: 1995 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: BACKGROUND: Khat (Catha edulis Forsk) is a plant whose leaves contain cathinone, a natural amphetamine. Its leaves are chewed for their effect of central nervous system stimulation and sympathomimesis. METHOD: We examined 25 regular (daily) khat chewing flight attendants (RC), 39 social (occasional) khatchewing flight attendants (SC), and 24 non-khat-chewing aircrew members (NC) who presented for FAA medical examinations, using electroencephalographic (EEG) frequency analysis and 4 psychometric tests measuring perceptual-visual memory and decision-speed. RESULTS: Memory function test scores were significantly lower in khat chewers than NC's, and in RC's than SC's. They correlated significantly negatively with both duration and quantity of khat abuse in both khat-chewing groups. While EEG analysis revealed a statistically significant shift towards fast frequency bands in RC's compared to SC's or NC's, it did not significantly correlate with, or influence, any of the tested memory functions. CONCLUSION: The results suggest an adverse effect of khat chewing on perceptual-visual memory and decision-speed regardless of EEG frequency changes, and are discussed in relation to aviation safety and standard FAA Aviation Medical Examination. MESH: *Aerospace-Medicine; *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulantspharmacology; *Cognition-drug-effects; *Decision-Making-drug-effects; *Memorydrug-effects; *Plant-Extracts-pharmacology MESH: Adult-; Age-Factors; Catha-; Cognition-physiology; Electroencephalography-drug-effects; Middle-Age; Neuropsychological-Tests; Psychometrics-; Time-Factors TG: Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects; physiology RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 7487806 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat chewing and bladder neck dysfunction. A randomized controlled trial of alpha 1-adrenergic blockade. AU: Nasher,-A-A; Qirbi,-A-A; Ghafoor,-M-A; Catterall,-A; Thompson,-A; Ramsay,-J-W; Murray-Lyon,-I-M AD: Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sana'a, Republic of Yemen. SO: Br-J-Urol. 1995 May; 75(5): 597-8 IS: 0007-1331 PY: 1995 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the effect of chewing khat leaves (Catha edulis) on the urodynamics of healthy males is altered by the selective alpha 1adrenergic blocking agent indoramin in a prospective randomized double-blind controlled trial. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The urodynamics of 11 healthy males were studied before and during a khat chewing session preceded by indoramin or placebo. RESULTS: Khat chewing produced a fall in average and maximum urine flow rate. This effect was inhibited by indoramin. CONCLUSIONS: The urinary side-effects of khat chewing are probably mediated through stimulation of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-pharmacology; *Indoraminpharmacology; *Plants,-Edible; *Urination-drug-effects MESH: Adult-; Double-Blind-Method; Middle-Age; Plant-Leaves; Urodynamics-drug-effects TG: Human; Male PT: Clinical-Trial; Journal-Article; Randomized-Controlled-Trial SH: pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 26844-12-2 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Indoramin SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 7613796 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat chewing delays gastric emptying of a semi-solid meal. AU: Heymann,-T-D; Bhupulan,-A; Zureikat,-N-E; Bomanji,-J; Drinkwater,-C; Giles,-P; Murray-Lyon,-I-M AD: Department of Gastroenterology, Charing Cross Hospital, London, UK. SO: Aliment-Pharmacol-Ther. 1995 Feb; 9(1): 81-3 IS: 0269-2813 PY: 1995 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: BACKGROUND: The leaves of Khat are chewed for their central stimulant effect, but their use may cause anorexia and constipation. METHODS: Gastric emptying of a radio-labelled semi-solid meal was measured in 12 healthy volunteers on two occasions a week apart. Subjects chewed either Khat leaves (Catha edulis) or lettuce for 2 h before the study. RESULTS: Gastric emptying was significantly (P < 0.02) prolonged after chewing Khat compared with lettuce. CONCLUSION: The sympathomimetic action of cathinone in Khat may cause the observed delay in gastric emptying. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-adverse-effects; *GastricEmptying-drug-effects; *Plant-Extracts-adverse-effects MESH: Adult-; Anorexia-chemically-induced; Catha-; Central-NervousSystem-Stimulants-administration-and-dosage; Constipation-chemically-induced; Eating-; Lettuce-; Mastication-; Middle-Age; Plant-Extracts-administration-anddosage; Radionuclide-Imaging TG: Comparative-Study; Female; Human; Male PT: Clinical-Trial; Journal-Article; Randomized-Controlled-Trial SH: chemically-induced; administration-and-dosage; adverse-effects; drug-effects RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 7766749 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat (Catha edulis)--egy noveny amfetaminszeru hatoanyaggal. [Kath (Catha edulis)--a plant containing an amphetamine-like substance] AU: Balint,-G-S; Balint,-E SO: Orv-Hetil. 1995 May 14; 136(20): 1063-6 IS: 0030-6002 PY: 1995 LA: Hungarian; Non-English CP: HUNGARY MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-pharmacology; *PlantExtracts-pharmacology; *Substance-Related-Disorders-epidemiology MESH: Africa,-Eastern-epidemiology; Catha-; Central-Nervous-SystemStimulants-adverse-effects; Hungary-epidemiology; Plant-Extracts-adverse-effects; United-Nations; World-Health-Organization TG: Human PT: Journal-Article SH: epidemiology; adverse-effects; pharmacology RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 7761071 TI: Khat on a hot tin roof. Catha Edulis intoxication. AU: Mack,-R-B AD: Department of Pediatrics, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Winston-Salem 27157. SO: N-C-Med-J. 1995 Feb; 56(2): 112-4 IS: 0029-2559 PY: 1995 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES CM: Erratum In: N C Med J 1995 Apr;56(4):136 MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-poisoning; *Plant-Extractspoisoning MESH: CathaTG: Human PT: Journal-Article; Review; Review,-Tutorial SH: poisoning RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 7898586 TI: Fascioliasis due to imported khat. AU: Doherty,-J-F; Price,-N; Moody,-A-H; Wright,-S-G; Glynn,-M-J SO: Lancet. 1995 Feb 18; 345(8947): 462 IS: 0140-6736 PY: 1995 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Fascioliasis-etiology; *Plants-parasitology MESH: Middle-Age TG: Case-Report; Female; Human PT: Letter SH: etiology; parasitology SB: Abridged-Index-Medicus; Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 7853987 TI: Kati--uusi huume Suomessa. [Khat--a new drug in Finland] AU: Tacke,-U; Malinen,-H; Pitkanen,-H AD: KYS:n psykiatrian klinikka, Kuopio. SO: Duodecim. 1992; 108(16): 1390-4 IS: 0012-7183 PY: 1992 LA: Finnish; Non-English CP: FINLAND MESH: *Plant-Extracts-pharmacology MESH: Africa,-Eastern-ethnology; Catha-; Central-Nervous-SystemStimulants-pharmacology; Emigration-and-Immigration; Finland-; Plant-Extractschemistry; RefugeesTG: Human PT: Journal-Article; Review; Review,-Tutorial SH: ethnology; pharmacology; chemistry RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 1366157 TI: Treatment of khat addiction. AU: Giannini,-A-J; Miller,-N-S; Turner,-C-E AD: Department of Psychiatry, Ohio State University. SO: J-Subst-Abuse-Treat. 1992 Fall; 9(4): 379-82 IS: 0740-5472 PY: 1992 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: The authors present two cases of khat addiction that were successfully treated with bromocriptine. Khat is a bush cultivated in the Mid East because of its highly stimulant effects. Its leaves contain a variety of sympathomimetics. While khat is rarely found in the U.S., American soldiers stationed in the Arabian peninsula may be exposed to it. Because of an alcohol interdiction during the current Persian Gulf crisis, these troops may be tempted to use this plant as an alternative recreational drug. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-adverse-effects; *PlantExtracts-adverse-effects; *Substance-Related-Disorders-rehabilitation MESH: Adult-; Arousal-drug-effects; Bromocriptine-therapeutic-use; Catha-; Follow-Up-Studies; Hospitalization-; Substance-Related-Disorders-psychology TG: Case-Report; Female; Human; Male PT: Clinical-Trial; Journal-Article; Randomized-Controlled-Trial SH: drug-effects; therapeutic-use; adverse-effects; psychology; rehabilitation RN: 0; 0; 25614-03-3 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts; Bromocriptine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 1362228 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Increases in the locomotor activity of rats after intracerebral administration of cathinone. AU: Calcagnetti,-D-J; Schechter,-M-D AD: Department of Pharmacology, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Rootstown 44272-9989. SO: Brain-Res-Bull. 1992 Dec; 29(6): 843-6 IS: 0361-9230 PY: 1992 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: There is a widespread practice among people living in Eastern Africa and Southern Arabia of chewing the leaves of the Khat shrub so as to produce pharmacological effects that are practically indistinguishable from those produced by amphetamine (AMPH). Cathinone (CATH) has been identified as the psychostimulant constituent of this plant and, although the locomotor elevating effects of centrally administered AMPH and cocaine (COC) in rats are well known, there is a paucity of data regarding CATH. Three experiments were, therefore, conducted to measure locomotor activity following central administration of CATH in rats. The first experiment determined the dose-dependent effects of CATH on activity following intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration. As psychostimulant effects are believed, at least in part, to be mediated by dopaminergic systems, in Experiment 2 CATH was injected into the dopamine nerve terminals of the nucleus accumbens. Experiment 3 examined the effects of CATH injection into the dopamine cell body region of the substantia nigra, and activity was measured. Results of the ICV injection of CATH revealed a dose-dependent increase of activity. The highest dose tested (64 micrograms) yielded a 117% increase in activity when compared to baseline, whereas a 20 micrograms bilateral nucleus accumbens (NA) injection of CATH increased activity fivefold. These findings evidence the hypothesis that the effects of CATH are dopaminergically mediated. Substantia nigra (SN) injections of CATH were without effect. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Cerebral-Ventricles-physiology; *MotorActivity-drug-effects; *Nucleus-Accumbens-physiology; *Psychotropic-Drugspharmacology; *Substantia-Nigra-physiology MESH: Alkaloids-administration-and-dosage; Cerebral-Ventricles-drugeffects; Dose-Response-Relationship,-Drug; Injections,-Intraventricular; NucleusAccumbens-drug-effects; Psychotropic-Drugs-administration-and-dosage; Rats-; Rats,-Sprague-Dawley; Stereotaxic-Techniques; Substantia-Nigra-drug-effects TG: Animal; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't; Support,-U.S.-Gov't,-P.H.S. PT: Journal-Article SH: administration-and-dosage; pharmacology; drug-effects; physiology RN: 0; 0; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Psychotropic-Drugs; cathinone CN: 3591PHS SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 1473016 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Cathinone, a natural amphetamine. AU: Kalix,-P AD: Department of Pharmacology, University of Geneva, Switzerland. SO: Pharmacol-Toxicol. 1992 Feb; 70(2): 77-86 IS: 0901-9928 PY: 1992 LA: English CP: DENMARK AB: Cathinone is an alkaloid that has been discovered some fifteen years ago in the leaves of the khat bush. This plant grows in East Africa and in southern Arabia, and the inhabitants of these regions frequently chew khat because of its stimulating properties. Cathinone, which is S(-)-alpha-aminopropiophenone, was soon found to have a pharmacological profile closely resembling that of amphetamine; indeed, in a wide variety of in vitro and in vivo experiments it was demonstrated that cathinone shares the action of amphetamine on CNS as well as its sympathomimetic effects; thus, for example, drug-conditioned animals will not distinguish between cathinone and amphetamine. These various observations were confirmed by a clinical experiment showing that cathinone also in humans produces amphetamine-like objective and subjective effects. Finally, it was demonstrated that cathinone operates through the same mechanism as amphetamine, i.e. it acts by releasing catecholamines from presynaptic storage sites. Thus, much experimental evidence indicates that cathinone is the main psychoactive constituent of the khat leaf and that, in fact, this alkaloid is a natural amphetamine. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Psychotropic-Drugs-pharmacology MESH: Alkaloids-blood; Mice-; Psychotropic-Drugs-blood; RatsTG: Animal; Human PT: Journal-Article; Review; Review,-Academic SH: blood; pharmacology RN: 0; 0; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Psychotropic-Drugs; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 1508843 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: The toxicity of Catha edulis (khat) in mice. AU: al-Meshal,-I-A; Qureshi,-S; Ageel,-A-M; Tariq,-M AD: College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. SO: J-Subst-Abuse. 1991; 3(1): 107-15 IS: 0899-3289 PY: 1991 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: A large number of people in East Africa and Southern Arabia chew khat leaves because of its pleasurable and stimulating effects. Due to its habit forming property, the khat has been classified as a "Substance of Abuse" by the World Health Organization. In view of the large number of medical problems reported in khat chewers, the present study was undertaken to investigate the chronic toxicity of khat in mice. Three groups of mice were treated with aqueous solution of khat extract in the dose of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg. body weight daily by oral intubation route for 6 weeks. The results indicated a dose-dependent decrease in body weight, an increase in the incidence of mortality and induction of site specific body and eye lesions. The histopathological examination of the lesions revealed reactive hyperplasia and necrosis in the lymphoid tissues. The necrotic areas in the subcutaneous tissues showed the presence of numerous polymorphs. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-toxicity; *Plant-Extractstoxicity MESH: Catha-; Dose-Response-Relationship,-Drug; Mice-; Motor-Activitydrug-effects; Motor-Skills-drug-effects; Reflex,-Abnormal-drug-effects; Respiration-drug-effects; Saudi-Arabia TG: Animal; Female; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: toxicity; drug-effects RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 1687965 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Effect of repeated administrations upon cathinone discrimination and conditioned place preference. AU: Schechter,-M-D; McBurney,-D AD: Department of Pharmacology, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Rootstown 44272. SO: Gen-Pharmacol. 1991; 22(5): 779-82 IS: 0306-3623 PY: 1991 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: 1. Eight male rats were trained to discriminate the interoceptive cues produced by 0.8 mg/kg l-cathinone in a two-lever, food-motivated operant task and they were, subsequently, tested for preference to cathinone in a conditioned place preference (CPP)-test. 2. Once trained, the rats were placed on a 10 day regimen of twice-a-day non-contingent administrations of saline followed by a similar regimen of multiple injections of 0.8 mg/kg cathinone. 3. After each series of non-contingent administrations, the rats' ability to discriminate (0.2-0.8 mg/kg) cathinone, as well as their preference for it, was determined. 4. Results indicate that tolerance tends to develop to the effect of cathinone in its ability to control discriminative behavior as indicated by deficits in discriminative performance and a two-fold shift of the doseresponse curve to the right. 5. In contrast, preference for cathinone, in the CPPtests, was not significantly affected by the multiple cathinone administration regimen. 6. The possibility that tolerance to some behavioral effects may occur in habitual users of the cathinone-containing Khat shrub is discussed. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Conditioning,-Operant-drug-effects; *Discrimination-Psychology-drug-effects; *Psychotropic-Drugs-pharmacology MESH: Drug-Tolerance-physiology; Rats-; Rats,-Inbred-Strains TG: Animal; Male; Support,-U.S.-Gov't,-P.H.S. PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects; physiology RN: 0; 0; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Psychotropic-Drugs; cathinone CN: 03591PHS SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 1761180 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Catha edulis, an international socio-medical problem with considerable pharmacological implications. AU: Balint,-G-A; Ghebrekidan,-H; Balint,-E-E AD: Department of Pharmacology, Albert Szent-Gyogyi Medical University, Szeged, Hungary. SO: East-Afr-Med-J. 1991 Jul; 68(7): 555-61 IS: 0012-835X PY: 1991 LA: English CP: KENYA AB: It is evident from the mentioned studies that the medical and psychosocial effects of khat chewing are hazardous both to the individual and the community. The habituation of khat chewing seriously effects the psychoeconomic structure of the subject. Being aware of the increasing prevalence of khat chewing (often together with other drugs), it is essential to assess the health and socio-economic problems of khat habituation in order to take further, appropriate medical and social measures. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-adverse-effects; *CentralNervous-System-Stimulants-chemistry; *Plant-Extracts-adverse-effects; *PlantExtracts-chemistry; *Substance-Related-Disorders-complications MESH: Africa,-Eastern-epidemiology; Africa,-Southern-epidemiology; Catha; Substance-Related-Disorders-epidemiology; Substance-Related-Disordersprevention-and-control TG: Human PT: Journal-Article SH: epidemiology; adverse-effects; chemistry; complications; prevention-andcontrol RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 1684545 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat, eine pflanzliche Droge mit Amphetaminwirkungen. [Khat, a herbal drug with amphetamine properties] AU: Kalix,-P; Brenneisen,-R; Koelbing,-U; Fisch,-H-U; Mathys,-K AD: Psychiatrische Universitats-Poliklinik, Bern. SO: Schweiz-Med-Wochenschr. 1991 Oct 26; 121(43): 1561-6 IS: 0036-7672 PY: 1991 LA: German; Non-English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: Because of their stimulating effect, leaves of the khat bush are chewed in several East African countries and in Yemen. Since only fresh leaves are active, this habit is almost unknown outside the regions where the plant grows. Recently, however, khat has made its appearance in the United States and in several European countries, while an import permit has been requested in Switzerland. These are reasons for making the practitioner familiar with the effects of this drug. During the last fifteen years, knowledge of khat and its constituents has made substantial progress. Today, the alkaloid cathinone is regarded as the main active principle of this drug, and this substance is held to be a natural amphetamine. This article summarizes knowledge of the pharmacology of khat. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulantspharmacology; *Plant-Extracts-pharmacology; *Psychotropic-Drugs-pharmacology MESH: Africa,-Eastern; Catha-; Hemodynamics-drug-effects; YemenTG: English-Abstract; Human PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 0; 0; 0; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts; Psychotropic-Drugs; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 1682997 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat and oral cancer. AU: Soufi,-H-E; Kameswaran,-M; Malatani,-T AD: Department of Medicine, King Saud University, Abha Branch, College of Medicine, Saudi Arabia. SO: J-Laryngol-Otol. 1991 Aug; 105(8): 643-5 IS: 0022-2151 PY: 1991 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: Oral cancers in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia have been observed to occur mostly among patients who have been long-term khat users. In a survey that reviewed cancers for the past two years there were 28 head and neck cancer patients, 10 of whom presented with a history of having chewed khat. One of these was a case of metastatic cervical lymph node and unknown primary, one was a parotid tumour, and the remaining eight presented with oral cancers. All were nonsmoking khat chewers and all of them had used it over a period of 25 years or longer. We conclude that this strong correlation between khat chewing and oral cancer warrants attention. MESH: *Mouth-Neoplasms-etiology; *Plant-Extracts-adverse-effects; *Substance-Related-Disorders-complications MESH: Catha-; Middle-Age; Mouth-Mucosa-pathology; Mouth-Neoplasmspathology; Parotid-Neoplasms-etiology TG: Female; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: pathology; etiology; adverse-effects; complications RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Abridged-Index-Medicus; Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 1919319 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: The pharmacology of psychoactive alkaloids from ephedra and catha. AU: Kalix,-P AD: Departement de Pharmacologie, Universite de Geneve, Switzerland. SO: J-Ethnopharmacol. 1991 Apr; 32(1-3): 201-8 IS: 0378-8741 PY: 1991 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: Ever since the introduction of the alkaloid ephedrine as an anti-asthmatic, the CNS stimulatory effects of this sympathomimetic have been a problem in therapy. Indeed, the use of ephedrine is not only limited by its cardiovascular effects, but also by the occurrence of insomnia, restlessness and anxiety. Exceptionally, ephedrine may even induce toxic psychosis, and the possibility of this side effect has recently received renewed attention. Besides ephedrine, the ephedra plant contains some norpseudoephedrine. This substance is also called cathine, because it is a major alkaloid of Catha edulis or khat, a plant that is widely used as a stimulant in certain countries of East Africa and of the Arab Peninsula. The effects of khat have been explained formerly by those of cathine; some time ago, however, the labile alkaloid cathinone was discovered in khat. This substance is the ketoanalog of cathine; it is therefore more lipophilic and penetrates easily to its sites of action in the central nervous system. Indeed, cathinone has been found to be a highly potent CNS stimulant and it is now known to be the main psychoactive constituent of khat; the results of various in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that cathinone must be considered a natural amphetamine. In confirmation of this view, it has recently been demonstrated that cathinone has in humans marked euphorigenic and psychostimulant effects. As the case may be, these findings may lead, together with epidemiological data, to a reconsideration of the use of khat as a stimulant and social drug. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Plants,-Medicinal-analysis; *Psychotropic-Drugs-pharmacology MESH: Catha-; Ephedrine-isolation-and-purification; Ephedrinepharmacology; Plant-Extracts-analysis; Plant-Extracts-pharmacology; Psychotropic-Drugs-isolation-and-purification TG: Animal; Human PT: Journal-Article; Review; Review,-Tutorial SH: pharmacology; isolation-and-purification; analysis RN: 0; 0; 0; 299-42-3 NM: Alkaloids; Plant-Extracts; Psychotropic-Drugs; Ephedrine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 1881158 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Cathinone, a phenylpropylamine alkaolid from khat leaves that has amphetamine effects in humans. AU: Kalix,-P; Geisshusler,-S; Brenneisen,-R; Koelbing,-U; Fisch,-H-U AD: Department of Pharmacology, University of Geneva, Switzerland. SO: NIDA-Res-Monogr. 1991; 105: 289-90 IS: 1046-9516 PY: 1991 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Amphetamine-pharmacology; *PlantExtracts-pharmacology; *Psychotropic-Drugs-pharmacology MESH: Alkaloids-pharmacokinetics; Blood-Pressure-drug-effects; Catha-; Heart-Rate-drug-effects; Psychotropic-Drugs-pharmacokinetics TG: Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacokinetics; pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 0; 0; 300-62-9; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Plant-Extracts; Psychotropic-Drugs; Amphetamine; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 1876014 TI: Cerebral function of the guinea pig neonate after chronic intrauterine exposure to khat (Catha edulis Forsk.). AU: Thordstein,-M; Jansson,-T; Kristiansson,-B AD: Department of Physiology, University of Goteborg, Sweden. SO: Biol-Neonate. 1991; 59(3): 161-70 IS: 0006-3126 PY: 1991 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: Cerebral function in normoxia and its reactions to standard periods of hypoxia of increasing severity were studied in 30 newborn guinea pigs less than 3 days old. Intrauterine growth retardation was induced either by uterine artery ligation at midgestation or by feeding the female in late gestation with khat leaves, an amphetamine-like stimulant chewed by men and women in several countries in eastern Africa and Arabia. After spontaneous delivery, the neonates were anesthetized and ventilated. Cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurophysiologic (somatosensory evoked potentials) parameters were monitored. Under normoxia, the khat-exposed group showed prolonged latency of the primary response of the somatosensory evoked potentials and a reduced amount of secondary components. Under hypoxia, this group also has a greater reduction of amplitude of the somatosensory evoked potentials. It is concluded that khat exposure during fetal life has an impact on the cerebral function during the neonatal period (at least up to 3 days of age) which is not solely explained by the concomitantly produced growth retardation. MESH: *Animals,-Newborn-physiology; *Brain-drug-effects; *Fetal-GrowthRetardation-chemically-induced; *Plant-Extracts-pharmacology MESH: Anoxia-physiopathology; Catha-; Evoked-Potentials-drug-effects; Fetal-Growth-Retardation-physiopathology; Guinea-Pigs TG: Animal; Female; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: physiology; physiopathology; drug-effects; chemically-induced; pharmacology RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2054426 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat-chewing during pregnancy-effect upon the off-spring and some characteristics of the chewers. AU: Eriksson,-M; Ghani,-N-A; Kristiansson,-B AD: Department of Pediatrics, Karolinska Institute, St Gorans Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. SO: East-Afr-Med-J. 1991 Feb; 68(2): 106-11 IS: 0012-835X PY: 1991 LA: English CP: KENYA AB: In a study of 1,141 consecutive deliveries at delivery centres in the Yemen Arab Republic, the effects of khat (catha edulis) upon the offspring have been studied. The leaves of the shrub khat contain euphorizing compounds and are chewed often, even daily, by many inhabitants. Non-users of khat (n = 427) had significantly fewer low birth-weight babies (less than 2,500 gram) compared to occasional users (n = 223) and regular users (n = 391). The khat-chewing mother was older, of greater parity and had more surviving children than the non-chewers. Significantly more khat-chewers had concomitant diseases. There was no difference in rates of stillbirth or congenital malformations. MESH: *Plant-Extracts-adverse-effects; *Pregnancy-Complications; *Pregnancy-Outcome; *Psychotropic-Drugs-adverse-effects MESH: Birth-Weight-drug-effects; Infant,-Low-Birth-Weight; Infant,Newborn; Maternal-Age; Parity-; Smoking-adverse-effects; YemenTG: Female; Human; Pregnancy PT: Journal-Article SH: drug-effects; adverse-effects RN: 0; 0 NM: Plant-Extracts; Psychotropic-Drugs SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 2040229 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Pharmacological properties of the stimulant khat. AU: Kalix,-P AD: Departement de Pharmacologie, Centre Medical Universitaire, Geneva, Switzerland. SO: Pharmacol-Ther. 1990; 48(3): 397-416 IS: 0163-7258 PY: 1990 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: The chewing of the stimulant leaf khat is a habit that is widespread in certain countries of East Africa and the Arabian peninsula. During the last decade, important progress has been made in understanding the pharmacological basis for the effects of khat. It is now known that the CNS action of this drug is due to the presence of the alkaloid cathinone, and the results of various in vitro and in vivo experiments indicate that this substance must be considered a natural amphetamine. It is the purpose of the present review to describe briefly the khat habit and to summarize the pharmacology of khat and of its active constituents. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-pharmacology; *PlantExtracts-pharmacology MESH: Alkaloids-pharmacology; Catha-; Central-Nervous-System-drugeffects; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-administration-and-dosage; PlantExtracts-administration-and-dosage; Plant-Extracts-adverse-effects; Psychoses,Substance-Induced-etiology; Psychotropic-Drugs-pharmacology; StructureActivity-Relationship TG: Animal; Human PT: Journal-Article; Review; Review,-Academic SH: pharmacology; drug-effects; administration-and-dosage; adverse-effects; etiology RN: 0; 0; 0; 0; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts; Psychotropic-Drugs; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 1982180 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Effects of cathinone and amphetamine on the neurochemistry of dopamine in vivo. AU: Pehek,-E-A; Schechter,-M-D; Yamamoto,-B-K AD: Department of Pharmacology, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Rootstown 44272. SO: Neuropharmacology. 1990 Dec; 29(12): 1171-6 IS: 0028-3908 PY: 1990 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: The effects of (-)cathinone, the primary psychoactive alkaloid of the Khat plant, were compared to those of (+)amphetamine in the anterior caudate-putamen and the nucleus accumbens. In vivo microdialysis was used to measure extracellular levels of dopamine and metabolites in both regions of the brain simultaneously, after intraperitoneal administration of 0.8, 1.6 or 3.2 mg/kg of either drug (doses expressed as the salts). Both drugs increased levels of dopamine but decreased levels of metabolites in a dose-dependent manner. However, the relative magnitude of these effects depended upon the specific drug, the dose and area of the brain examined. At the largest dose used, amphetamine had a relatively greater effect than cathinone on dopamine in both caudate and accumbens. However, among smaller doses, this difference was only observed in the nucleus accumbens after administration of 1.6 mg/kg. The results also demonstrated a differential regional effect of both drugs at 3.2 mg/kg, in that both had a greater effect on dopamine in the caudate, as opposed to the accumbens. These findings demonstrate a functional heterogeneity of the striatum of the rat, that may be relevant to the understanding of both normal brain function and the neural responses to psychoactive drugs. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Amphetamine-pharmacology; *Brainmetabolism; *Dopamine-metabolism; *Psychotropic-Drugs-pharmacology MESH: 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic-Acid-metabolism; Brain-drug-effects; Caudate-Nucleus-metabolism; Homovanillic-Acid-metabolism; Kinetics-; Molecular-Structure; Nucleus-Accumbens-metabolism; Putamen-metabolism; Rats; Rats,-Inbred-Strains; Reference-Values; Structure-Activity-Relationship TG: Animal; Comparative-Study; Male; Support,-U.S.-Gov't,-P.H.S. PT: Journal-Article SH: metabolism; pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 0; 102-32-9; 300-62-9; 306-08-1; 51-61-6; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Psychotropic-Drugs; 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic-Acid; Amphetamine; Homovanillic-Acid; Dopamine; cathinone CN: 04181PHS; NS24814NSNINDS SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 2293059 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Amphetamine-like effects in humans of the khat alkaloid cathinone. AU: Brenneisen,-R; Fisch,-H-U; Koelbing,-U; Geisshusler,-S; Kalix,-P AD: Department of Phytochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Berne, Switzerland. SO: Br-J-Clin-Pharmacol. 1990 Dec; 30(6): 825-8 IS: 0306-5251 PY: 1990 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: 1. The chewing of khat leaves as a stimulant is common in certain countries, and the effects of this material are supposed to be due to the phenylalkylamine alkaloid cathinone. In order to determine the effects of this substance in humans, a single oral dose of cathinone or placebo was administered to six healthy male volunteers in a double-blind, random order crossover study. 2. Cathinone produced increases in blood pressure and in heart rate, and these changes were concomitant with the presence of cathinone in blood plasma. 3. The physical and mental changes that the subjects reported during the experiment indicated that cathinone has in humans euphorigenic and psychostimulant effects. 4. These observations support the assumption that cathinone is the constituent mainly responsible for the effects of khat, and they show that this alkaloid has also in humans amphetamine-like effects. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Blood-Pressure-drug-effects; *HeartRate-drug-effects; *Psychotropic-Drugs-pharmacology MESH: Administration,-Oral; Adult-; Alkaloids-administration-and-dosage; Alkaloids-blood; Amphetamine-pharmacology; Catha-; Double-Blind-Method; Euphoria-; Plant-Extracts-pharmacology TG: Comparative-Study; Human; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Clinical-Trial; Journal-Article; Randomized-Controlled-Trial SH: administration-and-dosage; blood; pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 0; 0; 300-62-9; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Plant-Extracts; Psychotropic-Drugs; Amphetamine; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2288828 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Effect of khatamines and their enantiomers on plasma triiodothyronine and thyroxine levels in normal Wistar rats. AU: Islam,-M-W; Tariq,-M; el-Feraly,-F-S; al-Meshal,-I-A AD: Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. SO: Am-J-Chin-Med. 1990; 18(1-2): 71-6 IS: 0192-415X PY: 1990 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: The effect of cathinone and N-formylnorephedrine, two psychoactive amines of khat (Catha edulis Forsk.) and their enantiomers have been studied on plasma levels of triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) in male Wistar rats. The rats were injected with 5, 10 and 30 mg/kg, body weight of four khatamines and the blood samples were collected 2 h after their administration. In the separate set of experiments the effect of these khatamines at 1, 2 and 4 h after their administration was also examined. All the khatamines failed to produce a significant dose dependent increase in T3 and T4 levels in the dose of 5 mg/kg. However, all of these compounds produced a significant dose dependent increase in T3 and T4 levels at higher doses but only T4 levels were increased following the dose of 10 mg/kg. Our studies on the effect of khatamines in T3 and T4 levels at various times showed a significant increase in T4 levels in all the four groups treated with various khatamines and the peak effect was observed at 2 h in case of (-)- and (+)-cathinone and 4 h in case of (-) and (+)N-formylnorephedrine. This study suggests that the symptoms observed in khat chewers including hyperthermia, anorexia, and metabolic changes may to some extent be attributed to the thyroid stimulating effect of khatamines. However, further studies are needed to establish the mechanism of release of thyroid hormones by these compounds and their involvement in the pharmacological effects. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Plants,-Medicinal; *Psychotropic-Drugspharmacology; *Thyroxine-blood; *Triiodothyronine-blood MESH: Alkaloids-administration-and-dosage; Dose-Response-Relationship,Drug; Psychotropic-Drugs-administration-and-dosage; Rats-; Rats,-Inbred-Strains; Time-Factors TG: Animal; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: administration-and-dosage; pharmacology; blood RN: 0; 0; 5265-18-9; 6893-02-3; 7488-70-2 NM: Alkaloids; Psychotropic-Drugs; cathinone; Triiodothyronine; Thyroxine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 2239817 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Dopaminergic nature of acute cathine tolerance. AU: Schechter,-M-D AD: Department of Pharmacology, Northeastern Ohio Universities, College of Medicine, Rootstown 44272. SO: Pharmacol-Biochem-Behav. 1990 Aug; 36(4): 817-20 IS: 0091-3057 PY: 1990 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: Cathine is a psychoactive constituent in the leaves of the Khat shrub which are habitually ingested for their stimulatory effects in many parts of the world. Rats were trained to discriminate the stimulus effect of intraperitoneally administered 4.8 mg/kg d-cathine and, once trained, administration of another Khat constituent, cathinone, was shown to produce cathine-like effects. This generalization to cathinone was dose-responsive when testing occurred 24 hr after vehicle administration, whereas prior administration of cathine resulted in a diminished discriminative response to subsequent cathinone administration possibly as a result of the development of acute tolerance. CGS 10746B, a compound that blocks presynaptic release of dopamine, significantly decreased rats' ability to discriminate cathine when it was administered 25 min prior to cathine testing and it reversed the acute tolerance observed when cathine was tested 24 hr after cathine administration. These results indicate that a previously reported acute tolerance effect to cathine after cathinone administration in cathinone-trained rats appears to be symmetrical in that there is acute tolerance to cathinone after cathine in these cathine-trained rats. The results with CGS 10746B would suggest that both the cathine-induced discriminative cue and cathine's ability to produce acute tolerance are mediated by presynaptic dopamine release. MESH: *Appetite-Depressants-pharmacology; *Dopamine-physiology; *Phenylpropanolamine-pharmacology MESH: Alkaloids-pharmacology; Antipsychotic-Agents-pharmacology; Discrimination-Psychology-drug-effects; Discrimination-Learning-drug-effects; Dose-Response-Relationship,-Drug; Drug-Tolerance; Generalization-Psychologydrug-effects; Rats-; Rats,-Inbred-Strains; Thiazepines-pharmacology TG: Animal; Male; Support,-U.S.-Gov't,-P.H.S. PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects; physiology RN: 0; 0; 0; 0; 14838-15-4; 36393-56-3; 51-61-6; 5265-18-9; 81382-52-7 NM: Alkaloids; Antipsychotic-Agents; Appetite-Depressants; Thiazepines; Phenylpropanolamine; norpseudoephedrine; Dopamine; cathinone; CGS-10746B CN: 03591PHS SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 1977178 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: [Khat--a dangerous drug?] AU: Kalix,-P SO: Harefuah. 1990 May 1; 118(9): 555-6 IS: 0017-7768 PY: 1990 LA: Hebrew; Non-English CP: ISRAEL MESH: *Plant-Extracts-adverse-effects; *Psychoses,-Substance-Inducedetiology; *Substance-Related-Disorders-etiology MESH: Public-Health TG: Human PT: SH: RN: NM: SB: UD: AN: Journal-Article adverse-effects; etiology 0 Plant-Extracts Index-Medicus 20001218 2358244 TI: Discriminative stimulus properties of (+)cathine, an alkaloid of the khat plant. AU: Pehek,-E-A; Schechter,-M-D AD: Department of Pharmacology, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Rootstown 44272. SO: Pharmacol-Biochem-Behav. 1990 Jun; 36(2): 267-71 IS: 0091-3057 PY: 1990 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: The effects of the psychostimulant (+)cathine (norpseudoephedrine) were examined in a two-choice, food-motivated, drug-discrimination paradigm. Rats were able to discriminate cathine from vehicle and this effect was dose- and timedependent. Prior administration of cathine resulted in a diminished response (tolerance) to subsequent cathine and this effect developed and dissipated rapidly. Thus, different dose-response curves were generated depending upon whether cathine or vehicle was administered the day before testing. The development of tolerance also shortened cathine's time course of action and enhanced the ability of haloperidol to antagonize the cathine cue. These results suggest caution in interpreting effects produced by intermittent drug injection schedules. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Discrimination-Psychology-drug-effects; *Phenylpropanolamine-pharmacology; *Psychotropic-Drugs-pharmacology MESH: Catha-; Domperidone-pharmacology; Drug-Administration-Schedule; Drug-Tolerance; Haloperidol-pharmacology; Phenylpropanolamine-antagonistsand-inhibitors; Plant-Extracts-analysis; Rats-; Rats,-Inbred-Strains TG: Animal; Male; Support,-U.S.-Gov't,-P.H.S. PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects; antagonists-and-inhibitors; analysis RN: 0; 0; 0; 14838-15-4; 36393-56-3; 52-86-8; 57808-66-9 NM: Alkaloids; Plant-Extracts; Psychotropic-Drugs; Phenylpropanolamine; norpseudoephedrine; Haloperidol; Domperidone CN: 3591PHS SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2356199 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: An evaluation of the male reproductive toxicity of cathinone. AU: Islam,-M-W; Tariq,-M; Ageel,-A-M; el-Feraly,-F-S; al-Meshal,-I-A; Ashraf,I AD: College of Pharmacy and Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. SO: Toxicology. 1990 Mar 16; 60(3): 223-34 IS: 0300-483X PY: 1990 LA: English CP: NETHERLANDS AB: (-)-Cathinone is the major psychoactive component of khat plant (Catha edulis Forssk.). Khat has been shown to produce reproductive toxicity in human beings and experimental animals. However, the chemical constituents of khat leaves responsible for sexual dysfunction are not known. In the present study cathinone enantiomers have been investigated for their reproductive toxicity in rats. Cathinone produced a dose-dependent decrease in food consumption and suppressed the gain in body weight. There was a significant decrease in sperm count and motility and increase in the number of abnormal sperms in cathinone treated animals. Histopathological examination of testes revealed degeneration of interstitial tissue, cellular infiltration and atrophy of Sertoli and Leydig's cells in cathinone treated animals. Cathinone also produced a significant decrease in plasma testosterone levels of the rats. Although both enantiomers of cathinone produced deleterious effects on male reproductive system, (-)-cathinone was found to be more toxic. From this study it may be concluded that the cathinone content in khat may be partially or totally responsible for the reproductive toxicity in khat chewers. MESH: *Alkaloids-toxicity; *Genitalia,-Male-drug-effects; *PsychotropicDrugs-toxicity; *Reproduction-drug-effects MESH: Genitalia,-Male-pathology; Organ-Weight-drug-effects; Rats-; Rats,Inbred-Strains; Spermatozoa-drug-effects; Stereoisomerism-; Testosterone-blood TG: Animal; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: toxicity; drug-effects; pathology; blood RN: 0; 0; 5265-18-9; 57-85-2 NM: Alkaloids; Psychotropic-Drugs; cathinone; Testosterone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 2315943 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: The induction of dominant lethal mutations upon chronic administration of khat (Catha edulis) in albino mice. AU: Tariq,-M; Qureshi,-S; Ageel,-A-M; al-Meshal,-I-A AD: Cytogenetics Laboratory, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. SO: Toxicol-Lett. 1990 Feb; 50(2-3): 349-53 IS: 0378-4274 PY: 1990 LA: English CP: NETHERLANDS AB: The mutagenicity of a methanolic extract of khat has been evaluated on male germ cells using the dominant lethal test in albino mice. An aqueous solution of khat extract was administered orally in doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg body wt., respectively, to 3 different groups of male mice for a period of 6 weeks. At the end of treatment each male mouse was allowed to mate with 2 different groups of 3 females each, on 2 consecutive weeks. These females were necropsied on the 13th day of their presumptive mating, and the number of implants in each female and the ratio of live and dead embryos were determined. The results of this study showed that the treatment of male mice over a period of 6 weeks produced a dose-dependent reduction in the rate of fertility in the first week after mating, which was irreversible in the second week at the highest dose (200 mg/kg). Khat extract also induced post-implantation loss during the first week following treatment. However, a comparison of the results of the first and second weeks showed a reversible pattern of dominant lethality. MESH: *Genes,-Dominant-drug-effects; *Genes,-Lethal-drug-effects; *PlantExtracts-toxicity MESH: Catha-; Mice-; Mutation-; Substance-Related-Disorders TG: Animal; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: drug-effects; toxicity RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2309252 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Viral hepatitis markers in Djibouti: an epidemiological survey. AU: Fox,-E; Abbatte,-E-A; Said-Salah; Constantine,-N-T; Wassef,-H-H; Woody,J-N AD: US Naval Medical Research Unit No 3, Cairo, Egypt. SO: Trans-R-Soc-Trop-Med-Hyg. 1988; 82(5): 750-2 IS: 0035-9203 PY: 1988 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: A serosurvey involving 656 individuals revealed that hepatitis A infection was virtually universal in Djibouti in 1987, and more than half of the people investigated had serum markers of hepatitis B infection. The rate of chronic HBsAg carriers was 7.3% and was higher for males than for females. Both HBsAg and antiHBs positivity rates were directly related to increasing age. No uniform mechanism could be found to account for transmission of the hepatitis B virus, and no correlation was noted between HBV-marker status and sexual promiscuity or the classic blood exposure risks. However, a significant association existed between the abuse of khat and the chronic HBsAg carrier state. MESH: *Hepatitis-A-epidemiology; *Hepatitis-B-epidemiology MESH: Adult-; Africa,-Eastern; Carrier-State-immunology; Child-; Hepatitis-A-immunology; Hepatitis-Antibodies-analysis; Hepatitis-B-immunology; Hepatitis-B-Antibodies-analysis; Hepatitis-B-Core-Antigens-analysis; Hepatitis-BSurface-Antigens-analysis; Hepatitis-B-e-Antigens-analysis; Hepatovirusimmunology; Immunoglobulin-G-analysis; Risk-Factors TG: Female; Human; Male; Support,-U.S.-Gov't,-Non-P.H.S. PT: Journal-Article SH: immunology; epidemiology; analysis RN: 0; 0; 0; 0; 0; 0 NM: Hepatitis-Antibodies; Hepatitis-B-Antibodies; Hepatitis-B-Core-Antigens; Hepatitis-B-Surface-Antigens; Hepatitis-B-e-Antigens; Immunoglobulin-G SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20011102 AN: 2855282 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat: a plant with amphetamine effects. AU: Kalix,-P AD: Department of Pharmacology, University Medical Center, Geneva, Switzerland. SO: J-Subst-Abuse-Treat. 1988; 5(3): 163-9 IS: 0740-5472 PY: 1988 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: The chewing of leaves of the khat shrub is common in certain countries of East Africa and the Arabian peninsula, and some khat users are subject to psychic dependence on this stimulant. Recently, important progress has been made in understanding the pharmacological basis for the effects of khat. It is now known that the CNS stimulation is mainly due to the presence of the alkaloid cathinone in the leaves, and the results of various in vitro and in vivo experiments indicate that this substance must be considered a "natural amphetamine." In recent years, several cases of khat intoxication observed in the USA and in Great Britain have been described in the literature. In view of these developments, the khat habit and its health effects are described, and the possibilities for the treatment of acute khat intoxication are discussed. CM: Comment In: J Subst Abuse Treat. 1989;6(3):205-6 MESH: *Amphetamine-; *Plant-Extracts; *Substance-Related-Disorderstherapy MESH: Africa,-Eastern; Alkaloids-; Catha-; Central-Nervous-System-drugeffects; YemenTG: Animal; Human PT: Journal-Article; Review; Review,-Tutorial SH: drug-effects; therapy RN: 0; 0; 300-62-9 NM: Alkaloids; Plant-Extracts; Amphetamine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 3070051 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat-induced hypnagogic hallucinations. AU: Granek,-M; Shalev,-A; Weingarten,-A-M AD: Outpatient Clinic, Gehah Psychiatric Hospital, Petah Tikva, Israel. SO: Acta-Psychiatr-Scand. 1988 Oct; 78(4): 458-61 IS: 0001-690X PY: 1988 LA: English CP: DENMARK AB: Khat is a plant whose leaves are chewed for their stimulating effect. This effect is attributed to cathinone, an alkaloid identical to dextroamphetamine. Khat chewing is widespread among eastern African and Yemenite populations and is believed to be innocuous. Our experience shows, however, that a substantial number of chronic khat chewers experience persistent hypnagogic hallucinations - a symptom that has not yet been described. Three vignettes illustrates this phenomena, which often interferes with psychiatric diagnosis. Different explanatory models are discussed, among them chronic suppression of REM sleep. MESH: *Dreams-drug-effects; *Hallucinations-chemically-induced; *PlantExtracts-adverse-effects MESH: Adjustment-Disorders-psychology; Aged-; Catha-; DepressiveDisorder-psychology; Diagnosis,-Differential; Hallucinations-psychology; MiddleAge; Schizophrenia,-Paranoid-psychology TG: Case-Report; Human; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: psychology; drug-effects; chemically-induced; adverse-effects RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 3227966 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Acute effects of a khat extract on the rat electroencephalogram. AU: Saleh,-M; Mekkawy,-H; el-Komy,-F AD: Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Al Azhar University, Nasr, Egypt. SO: J-Ethnopharmacol. 1988 Jul-Aug; 23(2-3): 291-8 IS: 0378-8741 PY: 1988 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: Rats chronically implanted with cortical screw electrodes were treated with three different oral doses of a Khat extract and the EEG recorded for 5 h. Several abnormalities in EEG patterns were observed, particularly after the administration of the largest dose (400 mg/kg). Spectral analysis of EEG showed a significant shift of frequencies towards faster, lower voltage activity following administration of the two smaller doses (50 and 100 mg/kg), reflecting a stimulant effect of the extract. The highest degree of cortical activation was observed following administration of the smallest dose. With the largest dose, an initial activation was followed by a state of EEG depression characterized by a high percentage of slow, high voltage waves. It is concluded that Khat extract in small doses has a stimulant effect on the rat brain, but with larger doses induces a state of depression. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-pharmacology; *CerebralCortex-drug-effects; *Plant-Extracts-pharmacology MESH: Catha-; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-administration-anddosage; Cerebral-Cortex-physiology; Electroencephalography-; Plant-Extractsadministration-and-dosage; Rats-; Rats,-Inbred-Strains TG: Animal; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: administration-and-dosage; pharmacology; drug-effects; physiology RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2903945 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: AU: SO: Psychiatric morbidity among khat chewers. Dhadphale,-M; Omolo,-O-E East-Afr-Med-J. 1988 Jun; 65(6): 355-9 IS: 0012-835X PY: 1988 LA: English CP: KENYA MESH: *Plant-Extracts-adverse-effects; *Psychoses,-Substance-Inducedepidemiology; *Substance-Related-Disorders MESH: Adolescent-; Adult-; Catha-; Kenya-; Middle-Age; Psychoses,Substance-Induced-etiology TG: Female; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: adverse-effects; epidemiology; etiology RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 3181055 TI: Khat-induced paranoid psychosis. AU: Maitai,-C-K; Dhadphale,-M SO: Br-J-Psychiatry. 1988 Feb; 152: 294 IS: 0007-1250 PY: 1988 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-adverse-effects; *ParanoidDisorders-chemically-induced; *Plant-Extracts-adverse-effects MESH: Amphetamines-urine; CathaTG: Human PT: Letter SH: urine; adverse-effects; chemically-induced RN: 0; 0; 0 NM: Amphetamines; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2901888 TI: Effect of khat on uteroplacental blood flow in awake, chronically catheterized, late-pregnant guinea pigs. AU: Jansson,-T; Kristiansson,-B; Qirbi,-A AD: Department of Physiology, Gothenburg University, Sweden. SO: J-Ethnopharmacol. 1988 May-Jun; 23(1): 19-26 IS: 0378-8741 PY: 1988 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: In order to investigate effects of khat chewing on uteroplacental blood flow, eight awake, chronically catheterized guinea pigs were fed 2.2 g khat leaves/kg in late pregnancy and regional blood flows were measured with the microsphere technique. Seven animals fed with aspen leaves in the same amounts served as controls. The mean concentration of (+)-norpseudoephedrine in urine 3 h after the end of the feeding was 4.6 micrograms/ml in the khat-fed group with no detectable amounts in the controls. Placental blood flow was reduced by 10% 75 min and by 24% 180 min after khat feeding. Since the khat dose used gave urinary concentrations of (+)-norpseudoephedrine of the same magnitude as those reported in khat chewing women, khat chewing in pregnancy may reduce placental blood flow and impair fetal growth. MESH: *Placenta-drug-effects; *Plant-Extracts-toxicity; *Uterus-drug-effects MESH: Blood-Pressure-drug-effects; Catha-; Embryo-and-FetalDevelopment-drug-effects; Guinea-Pigs; Heart-Rate-drug-effects; Phenylpropanolamine-urine; Placenta-blood-supply; Regional-Blood-Flow-drugeffects; Uterus-blood-supply TG: Animal; Female; Pregnancy; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: drug-effects; urine; blood-supply; toxicity RN: 0; 14838-15-4; 36393-56-3 NM: Plant-Extracts; Phenylpropanolamine; norpseudoephedrine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 3419201 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Effect of khat on maternal food intake, maternal weight gain and fetal growth in the late-pregnant guinea pig. AU: Jansson,-T; Kristiansson,-B; Qirbi,-A AD: Department of Physiology, Gothenburg University, Sweden. SO: J-Ethnopharmacol. 1988 May-Jun; 23(1): 11-7 IS: 0378-8741 PY: 1988 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: Khat chewing is a widespread male social habit in countries around the southern shore of the Red Sea and in eastern Africa and is also practiced by women, even during pregnancy and lactation. In order to study the potentially adverse effects of khat chewing during pregnancy, guinea pigs were fed 2.2 g/kg of khat leaves daily throughout the third trimester. Control animals were given aspen leaves. Maternal daily food intake was significantly reduced during the first 10 days of feeding and maternal weight gain was slightly lower in the khat group. Khat feeding of the mother significantly reduced the mean birth weight of the offspring by 7% without any effect on litter size or length of gestational period. Since low birth weight is a well-established risk factor for both perinatal and young infant death, khat chewing during pregnancy may be one of the factors contributing to infant mortality. MESH: *Embryo-and-Fetal-Development-drug-effects; *Plant-Extractstoxicity; *Pregnancy,-Animal-drug-effects MESH: Birth-Weight-drug-effects; Body-Weight-drug-effects; Catha-; Eating-drug-effects; Gestational-Age; Guinea-Pigs TG: Animal; Female; Pregnancy; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: drug-effects; toxicity RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 3419198 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Cytological effects of khat (Catha edulis) in somatic and male germ cells of mice. AU: Qureshi,-S; Tariq,-M; Parmar,-N-S; al-Meshal,-I-A AD: Cytogenetics Laboratory, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. SO: Drug-Chem-Toxicol. 1988 Jun; 11(2): 151-65 IS: 0148-0545 PY: 1988 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: Cytological effects of khat (Catha edulis), a popular drug of abuse from Southern Arabia and Eastern Africa, have been studied in Swiss albino mice. The studies on the somatic system involved the use of micronucleus test and the cytological analysis of the mitotic index in the femoral cells of mice. In the micronucleus test, the mice were treated with different doses of khat extract (125, 250 and 500 mg/kg, p.o.) 30 and 6 hours before sacrificing the animals. The polychromatic erythrocytes were screened for the induction of micronuclei. For the analysis of bone marrow cytotoxicity, the mice were treated with the dose of 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg, body weight, p.o. daily for 5 consecutive days. The animals were sacrificed and the femoral cells were microscopically examined for the mitoses. Following the same schedule of treatment, studies on the cytogenetic analysis of meiotic chromosomal aberrations and the sperm head abnormality were undertaken. Khat extract significantly increased the frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes, induced bone marrow depression and reduced the mitotic index of the somatic cells. It induced significant chromosomal aberrations viz., aneuploids, autosomal univalents, univalents of the sex chromosomes and polyploids. The frequency of abnormal sperms was also increased. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-pharmacology; *Germ-Cellsdrug-effects; *Plant-Extracts-pharmacology MESH: Bone-Marrow-drug-effects; Bone-Marrow-Cells; Catha-; CellNucleus-drug-effects; Chromosome-Aberrations-drug-effects; Mice-; Mitosis-drugeffects; Spermatozoa-drug-effects TG: Animal; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: drug-effects; pharmacology RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2900128 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Polydrug abuse among Ethiopian university students with particular reference to khat (Catha edulis). AU: Zein,-Z-A AD: Department of Community Health, Gondar College of Medical Sciences, Ethiopia. SO: J-Trop-Med-Hyg. 1988 Apr; 91(2): 71-5 IS: 0022-5304 PY: 1988 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: The pattern of use of khat (Catha edulis Forsk), alcohol, cigarettes and tranquillizers among 479 medical and paramedical students in a boarding college in northwestern Ethiopia was studied by an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. The survey coverage rate was 98.8%. The majority of students were males (82.6%) and their average age was 21.2 years. The prevalence rate of current use of alcohol, cigarettes, khat and tranquillizers was 31.1%, 26.3%, 22.3% and 7.7%, respectively. These substances were also used in combinations, the most frequent involved khat, alcohol and cigarettes. Use of khat varied by the type of training (medical/paramedical) and by phase of medical education (preclinical/clinical). These variations were also apparent when data were analysed by sex and frequency of khat use. It appears that the pattern of khat use among university students is similar to that reported for substance abuse in other countries. Because of the economic importance of khat in the Ethiopian economy, its control may be difficult at present. MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; *Plant-Extracts; *Studentspsychology; *Substance-Related-Disorders-epidemiology MESH: Adolescent-; Adult-; Alcohol-Drinking; Catha-; Ethiopia-; Smokingepidemiology; Tranquilizing-Agents; UniversitiesTG: Female; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: epidemiology; psychology RN: 0; 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts; Tranquilizing-Agents SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2898021 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Cytotoxicity of Khat (Catha edulis) extract on cultured mammalian cells: effects on macromolecule biosynthesis. AU: Al-Ahdal,-M-N; McGarry,-T-J; Hannan,-M-A AD: Biological and Medical Research Department, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. SO: Mutat-Res. 1988 Feb; 204(2): 317-22 IS: 0027-5107 PY: 1988 LA: English CP: NETHERLANDS AB: A chloroform extract of Khat (Catha edulis) leaves was used to study the cytotoxic activity on KB, 1BR.3, and XP2Bi cells. Log phase cell survival curves showed an LD50 of 40 ng/ml for KB cells. 1BR.3 and XP2Bi cells were biphasic in their response to the extract during log phase, with an LD50 of 20 and 75 ng/ml, respectively. Stationary phase cells were unaffected by the extract. DNA and RNA synthesis inhibition was studied using radiolabeled thymidine or uridine to measure the amount of extract that inhibits the synthesis to 50% of the untreated control cells. DNA synthesis was inhibited by 45, 60 and 200 ng/ml and RNA synthesis by 24, 17 and 58 ng/ml in 1BR.3, XP2Bi and KB cells, respectively. Protein synthesis was inhibited to 15-20% of untreated control cells by a dose of 40 ng/ml in all the cells studied. From this work, it is apparent that the main cause of cytotoxicity of Khat extract may be the inhibition of de novo RNA synthesis. Our results suggest that this effect is exerted on all cells used in this study and that KB cells demonstrate a higher resistance to the toxic component. MESH: *DNA-Replication-drug-effects; *Fibroblasts-drug-effects; *PlantExtracts-analysis; *Transcription,-Genetic-drug-effects; *Translation,-Geneticdrug-effects; *Tumor-Cells,-Cultured-drug-effects MESH: Carcinoma,-Squamous-Cell; Catha-; Cell-Survival-drug-effects; Lethal-Dose-50; Plant-Extracts-pharmacology; Plant-Extracts-toxicity; Proteinsbiosynthesis; RNA-biosynthesis; Xeroderma-Pigmentosum TG: Human; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: drug-effects; analysis; pharmacology; toxicity; biosynthesis RN: 0; 0; 63231-63-0 NM: Plant-Extracts; Proteins; RNA SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2449610 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat-chewing in the Near East. AU: Drake,-P-H SO: Lancet. 1988 Mar 5; 1(8584): 532-3 IS: 0140-6736 PY: 1988 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-adverse-effects; *PlantExtracts-adverse-effects MESH: Asia,-Western; CathaTG: Female; Human; Pregnancy PT: Letter SH: adverse-effects RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Abridged-Index-Medicus; Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2893946 TI: Importing khat. AU: Weir,-S; Thuriaux,-M-C SO: Lancet. 1988 Feb 20; 1(8582): 414 IS: 0140-6736 PY: 1988 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Plant-Extracts-adverse-effects MESH: CathaTG: Animal; Human PT: Letter SH: adverse-effects RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Abridged-Index-Medicus; Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2893211 TI: Deformazione della guancia da "Khat". [Disfigurement of the cheek with "Khat"] AU: Coronelli,-E SO: Odontostomatol-Implantoprotesi. 1977 Jan-Mar; 3(1): 38-9 PY: 1977 LA: Italian; Non-English CP: ITALY MESH: *Cheek-pathology; *Muscular-Diseases; *Oral-Manifestations PT: SH: SB: UD: AN: Journal-Article pathology Dental 20001218 307202 TI: The use of khat (Catha edulis) in Yemen. Social and medical observations. AU: Luqman,-W; Danowski,-T-S SO: Ann-Intern-Med. 1976 Aug; 85(2): 246-9 IS: 0003-4819 PY: 1976 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: Catha edulis, or khat, a plant indigenous to Yemen, Ethiopia, and East Africa, has sympathomimetic and euphoriant effects. Its role in the economic, social, and political lives of people in North and South Yemen and certain clinical and psychiatric aspects are discussed. MESH: *Plants-; *Psychotropic-Drugs-adverse-effects MESH: Anthropology,-Cultural; Blood-Pressure; Gastrointestinal-Diseasesetiology; Heart-Rate; Islam-; Oral-Health; Schizophrenia-etiology; Sleep-Disordersetiology; Social-Behavior-Disorders-etiology; Substance-Withdrawal-Syndrome; YemenTG: Human PT: Journal-Article SH: etiology; adverse-effects RN: 0 NM: Psychotropic-Drugs SB: Abridged-Index-Medicus; Index-Medicus UD: 19760925 AN: 942147 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Cannabis et khat [Cannabis and khat] AU: Vaille,-C SO: Nouv-Presse-Med. 1976 Apr 24; 5(17): 1149-50 IS: 0301-1518 PY: 1976 LA: French; Non-English CP: FRANCE MESH: *Cannabis-; *Norepinephrine-; *Substance-Related-Disorders MESH: Chemistry-; Legislation,-Drug; Plants,-Medicinal; Smoking-; TeaTG: Human PT: Journal-Article RN: 51-41-2 NM: Norepinephrine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 19760823 AN: 934837 TI: Medical aspects of the chewing of khat leaves. AU: Halbach,-H SO: Bull-World-Health-Organ. 1972; 47(1): 21-9 IS: 0042-9686 PY: 1972 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND MESH: *Mastication-; *Plants-; *Psychoses,-Substance-Induced-etiology MESH: Africa,-Eastern; Arabia-; Stomatitis-chemically-induced TG: Human PT: Journal-Article SH: etiology; chemically-induced SB: Index-Medicus UD: 19730109 AN: 4538902 TI: Effects of Catha edulis (Khat) chewing on human body. AU: el-Guindy,-M-K SO: J-Egypt-Med-Assoc. 1971; 54(4): 230-4 IS: 0013-2411 PY: 1971 LA: English CP: EGYPT MESH: *Plant-Poisoning; *Substance-Related-Disorders MESH: Adult-; Aged-; Body-Temperature-drug-effects; Middle-Age; Pulsedrug-effects; Reflex-drug-effects TG: Human PT: Journal-Article SH: drug-effects SB: Index-Medicus UD: 19720509 AN: 5140001 TI: Experience in the control of khat-chewing in Somalia. AU: Elmi,-A-S; Ahmed,-Y-H; Samatar,-M-S AD: Head, Morphology and Pathology Department, Medical Faculty, Somalia National University, Mogadishu. SO: Bull-Narc. 1987; 39(2): 51-7 IS: 0007-523X PY: 1987 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: The chewing of the leaves of the plant called khat (Catha edulis Forsk) is a common habit in some countries of East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Khatchewing has a stimulating effect on the central nervous system, which is the reason for the widespread abuse of this plant. From the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, khatchewing spread from the limited area of the north-western part of Somalia to the whole country, assuming epidemic proportions. Khat-chewing was recognized as a real national problem with adverse consequences for the health and socio-economic development of the country. A law prohibiting the use, importation, cultivation and trade of khat was enacted in 1983, and it has been strongly enforced by a comprehensive national programme that has mobilized the whole country to achieve its objectives. Committees to co-ordinate action on khat control were established at the national, regional and local levels. An information and education campaign through the use of the mass media has been carried out to support the national programme. After the successes achieved in the enforcement of the prohibition law, the national authorities, hampered by a shortage of financial resources, have had major difficulties in providing farmers with adequate compensation for damage caused to them by the destruction of khat plantations. Difficulties were also experienced in coping with the unemployment of those who were involved in the khat business and in establishing the recreational facilities needed to provide healthy social alternatives to khat-chewing sessions. These difficulties have only been partly solved.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; *Plant-Extracts; *SubstanceRelated-Disorders-prevention-and-control MESH: Catha-; Legislation,-Drug; SomaliaTG: Human PT: Journal-Article SH: prevention-and-control RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2896525 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Use of khat in lactating women: a pilot study on breast-milk secretion. AU: Kristiansson,-B; Abdul-Ghani,-N; Eriksson,-M; Garle,-M; Qirbi,-A AD: Department of Pediatrics I, Gothenburg, University, Sweden. SO: J-Ethnopharmacol. 1987 Sep-Oct; 21(1): 85-90 IS: 0378-8741 PY: 1987 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: Nor-pseudoephedrine, one of the active ingredients of khat (Catha edulis), was found to be excreted in breast-milk in several lactating women who were chewing the leaves of the shrub according to the local customs. The compound could be traced in the urine of one breast-fed infant. It is concluded that the use of khat during lactation should be discouraged until further research has clearly elucidated the potential health hazards. MESH: *Milk,-Human-metabolism; *Plant-Extracts-adverse-effects MESH: Catha-; Phenylpropanolamine-analysis; Phenylpropanolaminemetabolism; Pilot-Projects; Plant-Extracts-metabolism TG: Female; Human PT: Journal-Article SH: metabolism; analysis; adverse-effects RN: 0; 14838-15-4; 36393-56-3 NM: Plant-Extracts; Phenylpropanolamine; norpseudoephedrine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 3695559 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Importing khat, legal but dangerous. AU: Goudie,-A-J SO: Lancet. 1987 Dec 5; 2(8571): 1340-1 IS: 0140-6736 PY: 1987 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Alkaloids-adverse-effects; *Phenylpropanolamine-adverse-effects; *Plants-; *Substance-Related-Disorders MESH: Great-Britain TG: Human PT: Letter SH: adverse-effects RN: 0; 14838-15-4; 36393-56-3; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Phenylpropanolamine; norpseudoephedrine; cathinone SB: Abridged-Index-Medicus; Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 2890946 TI: The content of psychoactive phenylpropyl and phenylpentenyl khatamines in Catha edulis Forsk. of different origin. AU: Geisshusler,-S; Brenneisen,-R AD: Institute of Pharmacy, University of Berne, Switzerland. SO: J-Ethnopharmacol. 1987 May; 19(3): 269-77 IS: 0378-8741 PY: 1987 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: Khat, the leaves of Catha edulis Forsk. (Celastraceae), is widely used as a stimulant in East Africa and the Arab Peninsula. Samples from the most important markets of Ethiopia, Kenya, North Yemen and Madagascar were analysed with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) concerning their khatamine content (phenylpropyl and phenylpentenylamines). The variability of khatamines depending on origin, type and quality is discussed. In many samples a good correlation between the amount of cathinone, the main CNS-active compound, and quality estimation (price) of dealers and consumers was found. MESH: *Alkaloids-analysis; *Amphetamine-analysis; *Phenylpropanolamine-analysis; *Plant-Extracts-analysis; *Plants,-Medicinalanalysis; *Psychotropic-Drugs-pharmacology MESH: Africa,-Eastern; Alkaloids-pharmacology; Amphetaminepharmacology; Asia,-Western; Catha-; Chromatography,-High-Pressure-Liquid; Phenylpropanolamine-pharmacology TG: Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: analysis; pharmacology RN: 0; 0; 0; 14838-15-4; 300-62-9; 36393-56-3; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Plant-Extracts; Psychotropic-Drugs; Phenylpropanolamine; Amphetamine; norpseudoephedrine; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 3669688 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: A comparison of the effects of phenylpropanolamine, d-amphetamine and dnorpseudoephedrine on open-field locomotion and food intake in the rat. AU: Eisenberg,-M-S; Maher,-T-J; Silverman,-H-I AD: Department of Pharmacology, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, Boston 02115. SO: Appetite. 1987 Aug; 9(1): 31-7 IS: 0195-6663 PY: 1987 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: d,l-Norephedrine (PPA) is available as an over-the-counter appetite suppressant and nasal decongestant in the U.S.A. The pseudoisomer dnorpseudoephedrine, is available as an appetite suppressant in Europe, and has been isolated as one of the stimulatory components (cathine) of the Khat plant. Some authors have misidentified cathine as PPA and this confusion in the literature has resulted. PPA and d-norpseudoephedrine possess significantly different pharmacological properties despite having identical structural formulae. Anorectic activity was determined in a food-deprived rat model. PPA and dnorpseudoephedrine were approximately one-tenth as potent as d-amphetamine with all compounds producing a dose-dependent decrease in food intake. Locomotor activity in an open-field apparatus was determined as an index of CNS stimulation. Male Sprague-Dawley rats treated with d-norpseudoephedrine, in doses between 10 and 50 mg/kg, exhibited significantly increased locomotor scores compared to saline (control) treated animals, an increase similar to that caused by 2 mg/kg damphetamine. PPA (5-50 mg/kg) failed to increase locomotion significantly. These results indicate that although each compound tested decreased food intake in a dose-dependent fashion, significant differences in open-field locomotion do exist between PPA, d-norpseudoephedrine, and d-amphetamine. Stereoisomeric compounds, although structurally similar, frequently have different pharmacological effects. Thus extreme care must be taken to properly identify these compounds in the literature. MESH: *Dextroamphetamine-pharmacology; *Eating-drug-effects; *MotorActivity-drug-effects; *Phenylpropanolamine-pharmacology MESH: Appetite-drug-effects; Dose-Response-Relationship,-Drug; Exploratory-Behavior-drug-effects; Rats-; Rats,-Inbred-Strains; SocialEnvironment TG: Animal; Comparative-Study; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: drug-effects; pharmacology RN: 14838-15-4; 36393-56-3; 51-64-9 NM: Phenylpropanolamine; norpseudoephedrine; Dextroamphetamine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 3662492 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat-induced paranoid psychosis. AU: Anonymous SO: Br-J-Psychiatry. 1987 Jun; 150: 875-6 IS: 0007-1250 PY: 1987 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Paranoid-Disorders-chemically-induced; *Plant-Extracts-adverseeffects MESH: CathaTG: Human PT: Letter SH: chemically-induced; adverse-effects RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 3651752 TI: AU: Khat psychosis. McLaren,-P SO: Br-J-Psychiatry. 1987 May; 150: 712-3 IS: 0007-1250 PY: 1987 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants-adverse-effects; *PlantExtracts-adverse-effects; *Psychoses,-Substance-Induced-etiology MESH: Adult-; CathaTG: Case-Report; Human; Male PT: Letter SH: adverse-effects; etiology RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2888505 TI: Khat-induced paranoid psychosis. AU: Critchlow,-S; Seifert,-R AD: Hackney Hospital, London. SO: Br-J-Psychiatry. 1987 Feb; 150: 247-9 IS: 0007-1250 PY: 1987 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Paranoid-Disorders-etiology; *Plants-; *Substance-RelatedDisorders-complications MESH: Adult-; Suicide,-Attempted-psychology TG: Case-Report; Female; Human PT: Journal-Article SH: etiology; complications; psychology SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 3651681 TI: Mitodepressive effect of (-)-cathinone, from Catha edulis (khat), on the meristematic region of Allium cepa root tips. AU: Al-Meshal,-I-A SO: Toxicon. 1987; 25(4): 451-4 IS: 0041-0101 PY: 1987 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: (-)-Cathinone, a psychostimulant alkaloid from khat, showed a significant mitodepressive effect on the dividing cells of Allium cepa root tips. This effect was dose-dependent and irreversible. Exposure of root cell to cathinone for 48 hr produced significant condensation and clumping of chromosomes, sticky metaphases and anaphase bridges. Our study suggests that the teratogenic and mutagenic effects of khat extracts as reported by earlier workers might be partially or totally due to their (-)-cathinone content. MESH: *Alkaloids-toxicity; *Mitosis-drug-effects; *Mutagens-; *Plantscytology MESH: Chromosomes-drug-effects; Depression,-Chemical PT: Journal-Article SH: toxicity; drug-effects; cytology RN: 0; 0; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Mutagens; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 3617083 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Prevalence of khat chewers among primary health clinic attenders in Kenya. AU: Omolo,-O-E; Dhadphale,-M SO: Acta-Psychiatr-Scand. 1987 Mar; 75(3): 318-20 IS: 0001-690X PY: 1987 LA: English CP: DENMARK AB: In a rural district hospital in Kenya, the authors screened 100 randomly selected outpatients for khat (miraa) chewing. A surprisingly high number of them admitted chewing khat leaves. The implications of this finding and the controversy about whether or not khat is a harmful drug are discussed. MESH: *Plant-Extracts-administration-and-dosage MESH: Adolescent-; Adult-; Catha-; Kenya-; Mastication-; Middle-Age; Outpatient-Clinics,-Hospital; Substance-Related-Disorders-epidemiology TG: Human PT: Journal-Article SH: administration-and-dosage; epidemiology RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 3591416 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: The influence of khat-chewing on birth-weight in full-term infants. AU: Abdul-Ghani,-N; Eriksson,-M; Kristiansson,-B; Qirbi,-A SO: Soc-Sci-Med. 1987; 24(7): 625-7 IS: 0277-9536 PY: 1987 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: The leaves of the shrub Catha edulis (khat) are widely chewed as part of social life in several countries around the Red Sea and in East Africa. The leaves possess stimulant properties and are also used by pregnant women. The effect of khat on birth-weight has been studied, It was found that healthy full-term, singletons, born after uneventful pregnancies and deliveries, had a significantly lower average birth-weight when the mothers were khat-chewers, either habitually or occasionally (P less than 0.001). Khat-chewing appears to be one of several maternal practices adverse to the fetus. MESH: *Birth-Weight; *Plant-Extracts; *Pregnancy-Complications; *Substance-Related-Disorders MESH: Catha-; Culture-; Infant,-Newborn; Mastication-; YemenTG: Female; Human; Pregnancy; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 3589757 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Effect of the khat alkaloid (+)norpseudoephedrine on uteroplacental blood flow in the guinea pig. AU: Jansson,-T; Kristiansson,-B; Qirbi,-A SO: Pharmacology. 1987; 34(2-3): 89-95 IS: 0031-7012 PY: 1987 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: In order to investigate effects of khat chewing on uteroplacental blood flow (+)norpseudoephedrine (NPE) infusions were given to 11 anesthetized guinea pigs in late pregnancy (62-66 days) after unilateral uterine artery ligation at days 30-32. Regional blood flows were determined with radioactive microspheres. Mean arterial blood pressure increased with 25% and heart rate with 9% during NPE infusion. Myoendometrial blood flow was reduced by 31%. Placental vascular resistance (PVR) increased by 56% in the control horn (17 fetuses) and by 82% in the ligated horn (17 fetuses). This vasoconstriction was counteracted by the systemic vasopressor response since placental blood flow remained unchanged. When considering only the 13 growth-retarded fetuses, however, PVR increased by 98% and a 19% reduction of placental blood flow could be demonstrated. These results suggest that the placenta of the growth-retarded fetus may be more sensitive to adrenergic stimulation than the normal placenta. Furthermore, since one of the active constituents of khat, (+)norpseudoephedrine, causes vasoconstriction in the uteroplacental vascular bed it is possible that khat chewing could reduce placental blood flow and, as a consequence, impair fetal growth. MESH: *Appetite-Depressants-pharmacology; *Phenylpropanolaminepharmacology; *Placenta-blood-supply; *Uterus-blood-supply MESH: Body-Weight-drug-effects; Cardiac-Output-drug-effects; Catha-; Fetus-drug-effects; Guinea-Pigs; Hemodynamics-drug-effects; Organ-Weight-drugeffects; Placenta-drug-effects; Plant-Extracts; Regional-Blood-Flow-drug-effects; Vascular-Resistance-drug-effects TG: Animal; Female; Male; Pregnancy; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects; blood-supply RN: 0; 0; 14838-15-4; 36393-56-3 NM: Appetite-Depressants; Plant-Extracts; Phenylpropanolamine; norpseudoephedrine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 3588659 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: The oral and dental effects of q'at chewing. AU: Hill,-C-M; Gibson,-A SO: Oral-Surg-Oral-Med-Oral-Pathol. 1987 Apr; 63(4): 433-6 IS: 0030-4220 PY: 1987 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: A survey of 121 male volunteers who were questioned regarding their attitudes to q'at (Khat or Catha edulis) is presented. This preceded a dental examination that revealed a low caries rate, an inverse relationship between periodontal pocket depth and the chewing side, and evidence of temporomandibular joint dysfunction. Keratosis of the buccal mucosa--probably related to q'at chewing-was also seen. No evidence has been found to suggest that q'at chewing has particularly detrimental oral or dental effects. MESH: *Dental-Caries-etiology; *Mouth-Diseases-etiology; *PlantsMESH: Adolescent-; Adult-; Dental-Caries-diagnosis; Laterality-; Leukoplakia,-Oral-etiology; Mastication-; Mouth-Diseases-diagnosis; MouthMucosa-pathology; Periodontal-Pocket-diagnosis; Periodontal-Pocket-etiology; Temporomandibular-Joint-Disorders-diagnosis; Temporomandibular-JointDisorders-etiology; YemenTG: Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: diagnosis; etiology; pathology SB: Dental; Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 3472143 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: The effect of phenylpentenyl-khatamines on the release of radioactivity from rat striatal tissue prelabelled with [3H]dopamine. AU: Kalix,-P; Geisshusler,-S; Brenneisen,-R SO: J-Pharm-Pharmacol. 1987 Feb; 39(2): 135-7 IS: 0022-3573 PY: 1987 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: The CNS-stimulating properties of leaves of the khat shrub (Catha edulis, Celastraceae) are presumed to be due mainly to (-)-cathinone, a phenylpropylamine alkaloid that has been shown to have an amphetamine-like releasing effect at physiological catecholamine storage sites. Recently, several phenylpentenylamine alkaloids have been identified in khat leaves, and these have been evaluated, invitro, in the present study for their ability to induce release of radioactivity from [3H]dopamine-prelabelled rat striatal tissue. It was found that the phenylpentenylamines have a weak releasing effect, and are therefore considered unlikely to play an important role in the stimulating properties of khat leaves. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Caudate-Nucleus-drug-effects; *CentralNervous-System-Stimulants-pharmacology; *Dopamine-metabolism; *PlantExtracts-pharmacology MESH: Amines-pharmacology; Catha-; Caudate-Nucleus-metabolism; Phenylpropanolamine-pharmacology; Rats-; Tritium-diagnostic-use TG: Animal; In-Vitro PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects; metabolism; diagnostic-use RN: 0; 0; 0; 0; 10028-17-8; 14838-15-4; 36393-56-3; 51-61-6; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Amines; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts; Tritium; Phenylpropanolamine; norpseudoephedrine; Dopamine; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2882000 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Alcohol use among khat (Catha) chewers in Kenya. AU: Omolo,-O-E; Dhadphale,-M SO: Br-J-Addict. 1987 Jan; 82(1): 97-9 IS: 0952-0481 PY: 1987 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Alcohol-Drinking; *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; *PlantExtracts; *Substance-Related-Disorders-epidemiology MESH: Adult-; Catha-; Cross-Sectional-Studies; Kenya-; Middle-Age TG: Female; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: epidemiology RN: 0; 0 NM: Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2881571 TI: Khat: scientific knowledge and policy issues. AU: Kalix,-P SO: Br-J-Addict. 1987 Jan; 82(1): 47-53 IS: 0952-0481 PY: 1987 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; *Plant-Extracts; *SubstanceRelated-Disorders-etiology MESH: Africa-; Alkaloids-; Arousal-drug-effects; Catha-; PsychotropicDrugs; Public-Policy; Substance-Related-Disorders-prevention-and-control TG: Animal; Human PT: Journal-Article SH: drug-effects; etiology; prevention-and-control RN: 0; 0; 0; 0; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts; Psychotropic-Drugs; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 2881570 TI: Clastogenic evaluation of cathinone and amphetamine in somatic cells of mice. AU: Tariq,-M; Parmar,-N-S; Qureshi,-S; el-Feraly,-F-S; Al-Meshal,-I-A SO: Mutat-Res. 1987 Feb; 190(2): 153-7 IS: 0027-5107 PY: 1987 LA: English CP: NETHERLANDS AB: Clastogenic effects of cathinone, the active principle from khat (Catha edulis) and amphetamine, a compound having similar chemical structure and pharmacological activity, have been studied on the somatic cells of mice. Both of them produced marked clastogenic activity and affected the cell proliferation in the bone marrow of mice. They induced a significant increase in the frequency of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes at higher doses. These results substantiate our earlier observations on the clastogenic and mitodepressive activity of cathinone on the meristematic region of Allium cepa, and indicate that cathinone may be responsible for the mutagenic effect of khat reported by other workers. The clastogenic effects of amphetamine are being reported for the first time. Further studies are required to substantiate these findings and to study whether cathinone and amphetamine produce a direct clastogenic effect or whether they act as spindle poisons. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Amphetamine-pharmacology; *Erythrocytes-drug-effects MESH: Alkaloids-toxicity; Amphetamine-toxicity; Bone-Marrow-drugeffects; Bone-Marrow-pathology; Bone-Marrow-Diseases-chemically-induced; Bone-Marrow-Diseases-pathology; Cell-Division-drug-effects; Cell-Nucleus-drugeffects; Cell-Nucleus-ultrastructure; Erythrocytes-ultrastructure; Mice- TG: Animal; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; toxicity; drug-effects; pathology; chemically-induced; ultrastructure RN: 0; 300-62-9; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Amphetamine; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 3821773 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Recent advances in khat research. AU: Kalix,-P SO: Alcohol-Alcohol. 1984; 19(4): 319-23 IS: 0735-0414 PY: 1984 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: Khat leaves are widely used as a stimulant in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and the effect of the material was formerly believed to be due to its content of norpseudoephedrine. Recently, however, a new alkaloid, cathinone, has been discovered in khat, and this substance was found to be a potent compound with a pharmacological profile closely resembling that of amphetamine. It was also found that cathinone has the same mechanism of action as amphetamine, i.e. that it causes release at physiological catecholamine storage sites. The present report summarizes the pharmacology of cathinone and shows that this alkaloid must be considered to be the main active constituent of khat. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Plant-Extracts-analysis; *PsychotropicDrugs-pharmacology MESH: Alkaloids-analysis; Amphetamine-pharmacology; Brain-drug-effects; Brain-metabolism; Catha-; Chemistry-; Dopamine-metabolism; Heart-drug-effects; Norepinephrine-secretion; Plant-Extracts-metabolism; Plant-Extracts-pharmacology; Psychotropic-Drugs-analysis; Receptors,-Serotonin-metabolism TG: Animal; Human PT: Journal-Article; Review SH: analysis; pharmacology; drug-effects; metabolism; secretion RN: 0; 0; 0; 0; 300-62-9; 51-41-2; 51-61-6; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Plant-Extracts; Psychotropic-Drugs; Receptors,-Serotonin; Amphetamine; Norepinephrine; Dopamine; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 6398076 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Effect of the alkaloid (-)-cathinone on the release of radioactivity from rat striatal tissue prelabelled with 3H-serotonin. AU: Kalix,-P SO: Neuropsychobiology. 1984; 12(2-3): 127-9 IS: 0302-282X PY: 1984 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: The alkaloid (-)-cathinone, which accounts for the stimulating properties of khat leaves, has a pharmacological profile closely resembling that of (+)-amphetamine. Since amphetamine is known to induce release at CNS serotonin storage sites, experiments were performed to determine whether (-)-cathinone also displays this aspect of amphetamine action. When the effects of (-)-cathinone and (+)-amphetamine on the release of radioactivity from rat striatal tissue prelabelled with 3H-serotonin were compared, it was found that (-)-cathinone had a releasing effect similar to that of (+)amphetamine, although it was only one third as potent. Thus, the khat alkaloid (-)cathinone appears to share an important effect of (+)-amphetamine on serotoninergic neurotransmission. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Caudate-Nucleus-metabolism; *Serotoninmetabolism MESH: Behavior,-Animal-drug-effects; Dextroamphetamine-pharmacology; RatsTG: Animal; Comparative-Study; In-Vitro PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects; metabolism RN: 0; 50-67-9; 51-64-9; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Serotonin; Dextroamphetamine; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 6527753 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat: an amphetamine-like plant material. AU: Kalix,-P; Khan,-I SO: Bull-World-Health-Organ. 1984; 62(5): 681-6 IS: 0042-9686 PY: 1984 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Central-Nervous-System-drug-effects; *Psychotropic-Drugs; *Substance-Related-Disorders TG: Human PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 0; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Psychotropic-Drugs; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 6334569 TI: Prolonged analgesia induced by cathinone. The role of stress and opioid and nonopioid mechanisms. AU: Nencini,-P; Ahmed,-A-M; Anania,-M-C; Moscucci,-M; Paroli,-E SO: Pharmacology. 1984; 29(5): 269-81 IS: 0031-7012 PY: 1984 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: Cathinone, the active principle of Catha edulis (khat), shows long-lasting analgesic effects when the tail-flick test is used in rats. The involvement of monoamines, endogenous opioids and stress in this analgesic effect was tested. Both early (30 min) and late (24 h) analgesic effects of cathinone were prevented by reserpine or pchlorophenylalanine, which deplete catecholamines or serotonin, respectively, and by nomifensine, which prevents neuronal uptake of biogenic amines and amphetamines. The same inhibitory effect was obtained with a high dose (4 mg/kg) of naloxone. However, rats made tolerant to morphine retained both early and late analgesic response to cathinone. The increase in plasma ACTH induced by the tail-flick test at 30 min and 24 h was significantly enhanced by cathinone, in a naloxone-reversible way. However, the analgesic responses shown at these times were not prevented by either dexamethasone or adrenalectomy. We conclude that the prolonged analgesia induced by cathinone is primarily due to an amphetamine-like activation of monoaminergic pathways, but requires the integrity of non-mu-opioid mechanisms. The involvement of the adrenohypophyseal axis in this cathinone effect is less probable. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Analgesia-; *Psychotropic-Drugspharmacology; *Receptors,-Opioid-drug-effects MESH: Alkaloids-antagonists-and-inhibitors; Corticotropin-blood; Dexamethasone-pharmacology; Fenclonine-pharmacology; Nociceptors-drug-effects; Nomifensine-pharmacology; Rats-; Rats,-Inbred-Strains; Reserpine-pharmacology; Stress,-Psychological-physiopathology; Time-Factors TG: Animal; Human; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: antagonists-and-inhibitors; pharmacology; blood; drug-effects; physiopathology RN: 0; 0; 0; 24526-64-5; 50-02-2; 50-55-5; 5265-18-9; 7424-00-2; 9002-60-2 NM: Alkaloids; Psychotropic-Drugs; Receptors,-Opioid; Nomifensine; Dexamethasone; Reserpine; cathinone; Fenclonine; Corticotropin SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 6093160 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Possible involvement of amine oxidase inhibition in the sympathetic activation induced by khat (Catha edulis) chewing in humans. AU: Nencini,-P; Amiconi,-G; Befani,-O; Abdullahi,-M-A; Anania,-M-C SO: J-Ethnopharmacol. 1984 Jun; 11(1): 79-86 IS: 0378-8741 PY: 1984 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: The possibility that phenylalkylamines (cathinone and cathine) of khat, like amphetamines, are amine oxidase inhibitors with clinical significance is evaluated. Results show that khat chewing induces a significant increase in blood pressure, body temperature and urinary catecholamines in khat naive subjects. On the other hand, in habitual consumers a significant enhancement only of blood pressure is observed. Urinary concentrations of vanilmandelic acid show an inhibitory trend in both groups of subjects. This has been related to a decrease in catecholamine deamination. In fact, oxidative deamination of benzylamine catalyzed by beef plasma amine oxidase is noncompetitively inhibited in vitro by cathinone (Ki = 0.05 mM) and cathine (Ki = 10 mM) as well as by amphetamine (Ki = 7.9 mM). MESH: *Amine-Oxidoreductases-antagonists-and-inhibitors; *Central-NervousSystem-Stimulants-pharmacology; *Plant-Extracts; *Sympathetic-Nervous-System-drugeffects MESH: Adult-; Amphetamine-pharmacology; Catecholamines-metabolism; CathaTG: Human; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: antagonists-and-inhibitors; pharmacology; metabolism; drug-effects RN: 0; 0; 0; 300-62-9; EC 1.4.3.-; EC 1.5. NM: Catecholamines; Central-Nervous-System-Stimulants; Plant-Extracts; Amphetamine; amine-oxidase; Amine-Oxidoreductases SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 6147440 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: The activities of the Narcotics Laboratory Section of the Division of Narcotic Drugs in supporting national laboratories. United Nations Secretariat. AU: Anonymous SO: Bull-Narc. 1984 Jan-Mar; 36(1): 69-74 IS: 0007-523X PY: 1984 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: Since the establishment of the Narcotics Laboratory Section of the Division of Narcotic Drugs of the United Nations Secretariat in 1954, in accordance with resolution 834 (IX) of the United Nations General Assembly, the activities of the Narcotics Laboratory Section have developed according to the recommendations of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. The Narcotics Laboratory Section carried out research on opium, cannabis, khat and codeine. The current programme of the Laboratory Section includes the following activities: Providing training in drug identification techniques to scientists, primarily from developing countries, and developing training standards; Strengthening national narcotics laboratories in developing countries, including the procurement of basic laboratory equipment; Developing standard testing methods applicable in developing countries; Providing reference samples for analytical and research purposes; Providing scientific and technical information on drugs of abuse; Collaborating with national narcotics laboratories. MESH: *Laboratories-organization-and-administration; *Narcotics-analysis MESH: Developing-Countries; International-Cooperation; Street-Drugs-analysis; United-Nations PT: Journal-Article SH: organization-and-administration; analysis RN: 0; 0 NM: Narcotics; Street-Drugs SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 6564905 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: The pharmacology of khat. AU: Kalix,-P SO: Gen-Pharmacol. 1984; 15(3): 179-87 IS: 0306-3623 PY: 1984 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Motor-Activity-drug-effects; *Plant-Extracts; *Stereotyped-Behavior-drug-effects; *Substance-Related-Disorders MESH: Alkaloids-adverse-effects; Catha-; Dextroamphetamine-pharmacology; Mice-; Phenylpropanolamine-pharmacology; Social-Behavior; StereoisomerismTG: Animal; Female; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article; Review SH: adverse-effects; pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 0; 14838-15-4; 36393-56-3; 51-64-9; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Plant-Extracts; Phenylpropanolamine; norpseudoephedrine; Dextroamphetamine; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 6376274 TI: Tolerance develops to sympathetic effects of khat in humans. AU: Nencini,-P; Ahmed,-A-M; Amiconi,-G; Elmi,-A-S SO: Pharmacology. 1984; 28(3): 150-4 IS: 0031-7012 PY: 1984 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: Khat chewing has been found to induce, like amphetamines, psychostimulation and increase in sympathetic tone. The possibility that tolerance develops to these effects has been studied by comparing the influence of the chewing of a standard dose of khat on some physiological parameters in chronic consumers and naive subjects. Systolic blood pressure appears to rise in both groups, but the increase in diastolic pressure was more marked in naive subjects and inversely related to the reduction of pulse rate. The increases of respiratory rate and body temperature were also higher in naive subjects. In both groups, all these effects disappeared after 18 h. These results are consistent with an amphetamine-like mechanism of action and suggest that tolerance develops to the sympathetic effects of khat. MESH: *Plant-Extracts-pharmacology; *Sympathetic-Nervous-System-drugeffects MESH: Adult-; Behavior-drug-effects; Blood-Pressure-drug-effects; BodyTemperature-drug-effects; Catha-; Drug-Tolerance; Middle-Age; Pulse-drug-effects; Respiration-drug-effects; Somalia-; Substance-Related-Disorders-physiopathology TG: Human; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: drug-effects; pharmacology; physiopathology RN: 0 NM: Plant-Extracts SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 6718481 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat-induced schizophreniform psychosis in UK. AU: Anonymous SO: Lancet. 1984 Feb 25; 1(8374): 455 IS: 0140-6736 PY: 1984 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Plant-Extracts; *Psychoses,-Substance-Induced-etiology; *SubstanceRelated-Disorders MESH: Adult-; Amphetamines-poisoning; Catha-; Great-Britain; Yemenethnology TG: Case-Report; Human; Male PT: Letter SH: poisoning; etiology; ethnology RN: 0; 0 NM: Amphetamines; Plant-Extracts SB: Abridged-Index-Medicus; Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 6142183 TI: Amphetamine psychosis due to khat leaves. AU: Kalix,-P SO: Lancet. 1984 Jan 7; 1(8367): 46 IS: 0140-6736 PY: 1984 LA: English CP: ENGLAND MESH: *Amphetamine-poisoning; *Bipolar-Disorder-chemically-induced; *PlantExtracts-poisoning MESH: CathaTG: Human PT: Letter SH: poisoning; chemically-induced RN: 0; 300-62-9 NM: Plant-Extracts; Amphetamine SB: Abridged-Index-Medicus; Index-Medicus UD: 20021101 AN: 6140368 TI: A manic-like psychosis due to khat (Catha edulis Forsk.). AU: Giannini,-A-J; Castellani,-S SO: J-Toxicol-Clin-Toxicol. 1982 Jul; 19(5): 455-9 IS: 0731-3810 PY: 1982 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES AB: A case is presented of a 23-year-old male who displayed symptoms of manic psychosis and increased sympathetic activity following ingestion of khat (Catha edulis Forsk.). The causal role of khat was verified by visual inspection of the plant and chemical identification of phenylpropanolamine in the urine. The active constituents and possible abuse potential of khat are discussed. MESH: *Bipolar-Disorder-etiology; *Plant-Poisoning MESH: Adult-; Phenylpropanolamine-urine TG: Case-Report; Human; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: etiology; urine RN: 14838-15-4 NM: Phenylpropanolamine SB: Abridged-Index-Medicus; Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 7175990 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Naloxone-reversible antinociceptive activity of cathinone, the active principle of khat, in the mouse and rat. AU: Nencini,-P; Ahmed,-A-M SO: Pharmacol-Res-Commun. 1982 Sep; 14(8): 759-70 IS: 0031-6989 PY: 1982 LA: English CP: UNITED-STATES MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Analgesia-; *Naloxone-pharmacology; *Plants,-Medicinal MESH: Behavior,-Animal-drug-effects; Kinetics-; Mice-; Rats-; Rats,-InbredStrains TG: Animal; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 465-65-6; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Naloxone; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 7146059 TI: Neurochemical similarities between d,l-cathinone and d-amphetamine. AU: Wagner,-G-C; Preston,-K; Ricaurte,-G-A; Schuster,-C-R; Seiden,-L-S SO: Drug-Alcohol-Depend. 1982 Aug; 9(4): 279-84 IS: 0376-8716 PY: 1982 LA: English CP: SWITZERLAND AB: Cathinone, the principal alkaloid of Khat, was compared to the psychomotor stimulant d-amphetamine on a number of neurochemical measures. Like d-amphetamine, d,l-cathinone released and blocked the uptake of tritiated dopamine (DA) in synaptosomal preparations. In addition, repeated high doses of d,l-cathinone produced long-lasting DA depletions in various rat brain regions and decreased the number of synaptosomal DA uptake sites in a manner similar to that seen after repeated damphetamine administration. Importantly, this DA neurotoxic effect of d,l-cathinone, like that of d-amphetamine, is selective since regional brain levels of norepinephrine (NE) or serotonin (5-HT) are not altered on a long-term basis by repeated administration of d,lcathinone. These findings are discussed with reference to the current practice of Khat leaf chewing by people in north-eastern Africa. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Brain-Chemistry-drug-effects; *Dextroamphetamine-pharmacology MESH: Dopamine-metabolism; Norepinephrine-analysis; Rats-; Rats,-InbredStrains; Serotonin-analysis; Tritium-diagnostic-use TG: Animal; Comparative-Study; Male; Support,-Non-U.S.-Gov't; Support,-U.S.Gov't,-P.H.S. PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects; metabolism; analysis; diagnostic-use RN: 0; 10028-17-8; 50-67-9; 51-41-2; 51-61-6; 51-64-9; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Tritium; Serotonin; Norepinephrine; Dopamine; Dextroamphetamine; cathinone CN: 00085PHS; DA00250DANIDA; PH55T329M07151PHPHPPO SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 7128450 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: The amphetamine-like releasing effect of the alkaloid (-)cathinone on rat nucleus accumbens and rabbit caudate nucleus. AU: Kalix,-P SO: Prog-Neuropsychopharmacol-Biol-Psychiatry. 1982; 6(1): 43-9 IS: 0278-5846 PY: 1982 LA: English CP: ENGLAND AB: 1. (-)Cathinone, a new alkaloid from khat leaves, has recently been reported to have amphetamine-like behavioral effects. In order to investigate the effects of this compound on the cellular level, slices of rat nucleus accumbens, prelabelled with 3Hdopamine, were superfused with solutions of (-)cathinone. 2. It was found that ()cathinone, as (+)amphetamine, enhanced the release of radioactivity from rat nucleus accumbens tissue. 3. In similar experiments on rabbit caudate nucleus it was observed that the catecholamine reuptake inhibitors benztropine, nomifensine and mazindol were able to block the (-)cathinone-induced release, indicating that the alkaloid has to penetrate to intraneuronal sites in order to evoke release. 4. It is concluded that the pharmacological similarity between (-)cathinone and (+)amphetamine extends to the cellular level and that the behavioral effects of (-)cathinone are due to stimulation of release from central catecholamine storage sites. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Caudate-Nucleus-drug-effects; *Dextroamphetamine-pharmacology; *Neural-Inhibition-drug-effects; *NucleusAccumbens-drug-effects; *Septal-Nuclei-drug-effects MESH: Benztropine-pharmacology; Dopamine-metabolism; Dose-ResponseRelationship,-Drug; Mazindol-pharmacology; Nomifensine-pharmacology; RabbitsTG: Animal PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects; metabolism RN: 0; 22232-71-9; 24526-64-5; 51-61-6; 51-64-9; 5265-18-9; 86-13-5 NM: Alkaloids; Mazindol; Nomifensine; Dopamine; Dextroamphetamine; cathinone; Benztropine SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 7202229 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB) TI: Khat, Suchtdroge des Islams. [Khat, an addictive drug of Islam] AU: Schorno,-H-X SO: Pharm-Unserer-Zeit. 1982 May; 11(3): 65-73 IS: 0048-3664 PY: 1982 LA: German; Non-English CP: GERMANY,-WEST MESH: *Islam-; *Plants,-Medicinal-analysis; *Religion-and-Medicine MESH: Africa-; Substance-Related-Disorders TG: Human PT: Journal-Article SH: analysis SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 7089022 TI: The effect of the alkaloid (-)cathinone on the motor activity in mice. AU: Valterio,-C; Kalix,-P SO: Arch-Int-Pharmacodyn-Ther. 1982 Feb; 255(2): 196-203 IS: 0301-4533 PY: 1982 LA: English CP: BELGIUM AB: Khat leaves, widely used as a stimulant in East Africa and the Arab Peninsula, contain the alkaloid, (-)cathinone. This substance was found to cause in mice an increase of locomotor activity characterized by a dose-effect relationship typical for amphetamine. Furthermore, the effect of (-)cathinone was inhibited by pretreatment of the animals with the neuroleptics haloperidol, spiroperidol, pimozide, flupentixol and butaclamol. Pretreatment with reserpine reduced the effect of (-)cathinone moderately; in reserpinized mice the effect of (-)cathinone was antagonized by the uptake inhibitors mazindol and nomifensine. Together, these observations indicate that the pharmacology of (-)cathinone hypermotility closely parallels that of amphetamine hypermotility. The results suggest that the stimulating properties of khat leaves are due to the presence of an alkaloid with amphetamine-like effects. MESH: *Alkaloids-pharmacology; *Motor-Activity-drug-effects MESH: Dose-Response-Relationship,-Drug; Drug-Interactions; Mice-; Reserpinepharmacology TG: Animal; Male PT: Journal-Article SH: pharmacology; drug-effects RN: 0; 50-55-5; 5265-18-9 NM: Alkaloids; Reserpine; cathinone SB: Index-Medicus UD: 20001218 AN: 7073403 XREC: ABSTRACT (AB)