Journal Club with Dr. Jonathan Cachat

This week we look at very interesting study led by Fredric Schiffer based on this theory of Dual Brain Psychology (DBP). DBP "posits that one brain hemisphere tends to be relatively mature and healthy, while the other hemisphere may be more affected by past traumas and supports a personality that is more prone to immature and/or destructive beliefs and/or behaviors" (Schiffer, et al, 2020). Using a form of light therapy called transcranial photobiomodulation (t-PBM), where beams of Near Infrared Radiation light is carried at specific points over the scalp, in this study and others Schiffer has shown a significant lowering of opioid cravings in many of the test subjects.

REFERENCES

Main Study: Schiffer, F., Reichmann, W., Flynn, E., Hamblin, M. R., & McCormack, H. (2020). A Novel Treatment of Opioid Cravings With an Effect Size of .73 for Unilateral Transcranial Photobiomodulation Over Sham. Frontiers in psychiatry, 11, 827. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00827

Definitions:

• Anders, JJ. (2016). Photobiomodulation. American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Inc. https://www.aslms.org/for-the-public/treatments-using-lasers-and-energy-based-devices/photobiomodulation
• Askalsky, P., & Iosifescu, D. V. (2019). Transcranial Photobiomodulation For The Management Of Depression: Current Perspectives. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 15, 3255–3272. https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S188906

The Fentanyl Project https://www.instagram.com/thefentanylproject/

Dr. Jonathan Cachat is on social media @jcachat and http://jcachat.com/

REPOST info: Yesterday I accidentally posted last week's episode with this week's information. I corrected this mistake 45 minutes after posting. Since the change is reflected on some listening apps and not others, I'm posting the episode again. Sorry!

For #29 of Kratom Science Journal Club, JC and Brian look at a 2019 report on toxicological events having to do with mitragynine. Does mitragynine increase the effects of other drugs? How toxic is kratom on its own? Other alkaloids have commonly been counted as mitragynine, so what are the ramifications? All this and other “medicolegal” issues.

Plus, we talk about the Cannabis Museum in Athens Ohio. When will it open? Probably not on 4/20, but close enough.

References

• Papsun, D. M., Chan-Hosokawa, A., Friederich, L., Brower, J., Graf, K., & Logan, B. (2019). The Trouble With Kratom: Analytical and Interpretative Issues Involving Mitragynine. Journal of analytical toxicology, 43(8), 615–629. https://doi.org/10.1093/jat/bkz064
• Takayama H. (2004). Chemistry and pharmacology of analgesic indole alkaloids from the rubiaceous plant, Mitragyna speciosa. Chemical & pharmaceutical bulletin, 52(8), 916–928. https://doi.org/10.1248/cpb.52.916
• Quote from Dr. Abhisheak Sharma from Episode #45 of the Kratom Science Podcast https://www.kratomscience.com/podcast/45-dr-abisheak-sharma-pharmacokineticist-and-kratom-researcher/

Dr. Jonathan Cachat is on social media @jcachat and http://jcachat.com/

For #29 of Kratom Science Journal Club, JC and Brian look at a 2019 report on toxicological events having to do with mitragynine. Does mitragynine increase the effects of other drugs? How toxic is kratom on its own? Other alkaloids have commonly been counted as mitragynine, so what are the ramifications? All this and other "medicolegal" issues.

Plus, we talk about the Cannabis Museum in Athens Ohio. When will it open? Probably not on 4/20, but close enough.

References

• Papsun, D. M., Chan-Hosokawa, A., Friederich, L., Brower, J., Graf, K., & Logan, B. (2019). The Trouble With Kratom: Analytical and Interpretative Issues Involving Mitragynine. Journal of analytical toxicology, 43(8), 615–629. https://doi.org/10.1093/jat/bkz064
• Takayama H. (2004). Chemistry and pharmacology of analgesic indole alkaloids from the rubiaceous plant, Mitragyna speciosa. Chemical & pharmaceutical bulletin, 52(8), 916–928. https://doi.org/10.1248/cpb.52.916
• Quote from Dr. Abhisheak Sharma from Episode #45 of the Kratom Science Podcast https://www.kratomscience.com/podcast/45-dr-abisheak-sharma-pharmacokineticist-and-kratom-researcher/

Dr. Jonathan Cachat is on social media @jcachat and http://jcachat.com/

Dr. Cachat and host Brian Gallagher look at a groundbreaking study from University of Florida School of Pharmacy showing mitragynine has pain relieving effects independent of its metabolism into 7-hydroxymitragynine. This could be revolutionary in the study of kratom as a safer pain medicine. We go on to talk about the cannabis testing lab that Dr. Cachat is helping to develop in Columbus, Ohio, the phenomenon of "THC inflation" and "lab shopping", and what kratom alkaloid testing labs might look like in the future. We also talk about a recent article on cannabis compounds and SARS viruses.

Articles cited in this podcast:

• Berthold, E. C., Kamble, S. H., Raju, K. S., Kuntz, M. A., Senetra, A. S., Mottinelli, M., León, F., Restrepo, L. F., Patel, A., Ho, N. P., Hiranita, T., Sharma, A., McMahon, L. R., & McCurdy, C. R. (2022). The Lack of Contribution of 7-Hydroxymitragynine to the Antinociceptive Effects of Mitragynine in Mice: A Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Study. Drug metabolism and disposition: the biological fate of chemicals, 50(2), 158–167. https://doi.org/10.1124/dmd.121.000640 https://dmd.aspetjournals.org/content/50/2/158.long
• Blog post summarizing the study above https://www.kratomscience.com/2021/12/29/study-mitragynine-does-not-rely-on-its-metabolism-into-7-hydroxymitragynine-to-produce-pain-relieving-effects/
• Forbes article on cannabis compounds and COVID https://www.forbes.com/sites/ajherrington/2022/01/11/study-finds-cannabis-compounds-prevent-infection-by-covid-19-virus/?sh=505f76c17537

Music: Captain Bigwheel, "Moonrunner"

None of the content of this or any episode of Kratom Science Journal Club, Kratom Science Podcast, or on any page of KratomScience.com are intended nor should be taken as medical claims or medical advice. Please consult a medical professional, less is more, and be safe.

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Spoiler alert: kinda, but its more the quercetin in kratom, which is available in many food plants and as a dietary supplement on its own.

This study comes to us from a team at Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Surabaya (UNUSA) in Surabaya, Indonesia, on the island of Java, south of the island of Kalimantan, where most of the kratom sold in the United States is grown. In this in vitro study, researchers applied a methanol extract of kratom to analogues of e-coli and Streptococcus pneumoniae, a bacteria that causes pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis. The kratom extract has been shown to eliminate the bacteria in both samples, however this may not be due to properties unique to kratom itself.

Plus, Brian checks on the sources for yet another claim in the introduction to this paper that kratom is "smoked", and we talk about false claims about kratom's healing properties at the beginning of COVID.

Study cited: Salim, Hotimah & Puspitarini, Marinda & Setiwati, Yuani & Shimabukuro, Michio. (2021). Antibacterial mechanism of Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) methanol extract on Streptococcus pneumoniae and Eschericia coli bacteria. Biomolecular and Health Science Journal. 4. 98. 10.20473/bhsj.v4i2.28933. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355850347_Antibacterial_mechanism_of_Kratom_Mitragyna_speciosa_methanol_extract_on_Streptococcus_pneumoniae_and_Eschericia_coli_bacteria

Dr. Jonathan Cachat is on social media @jcachat and http://jcachat.com/

Dr. JC and Brian look at a study out of University of Science, Malaysia. The comprehensive and detailed study in mice from University of Science, Malaysia revealed mitragynine in very high doses is an agonist (binds to and activates) cannabinoid receptor Type 1 (CB1). Mice administered with high-dose mitragynine demonstrated similar reward-seeking behavior and cognitive impairment as mice administered with morphine and THC. Mice that received high-dose mitragynine, morphine, and THC with a CB1 antagonist (a compound that binds to a deactivates the CB1 receptor), did not exhibit similar cognitive impairment, nor did mice that received low-dose mitragynine.

Study referenced in this podcast Iman, I. N., Ahmad, N., Mohd Yusof, N. A., Talib, U. N., Norazit, A., Kumar, J., Mehat, M. Z., Hassan, Z., Müller, C. P., & Muzaimi, M. (2021). Mitragynine (Kratom)-Induced Cognitive Impairments in Mice Resemble Δ9-THC and Morphine Effects: Reversal by Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor Antagonism. Frontiers in pharmacology, 12, 708055. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.708055

Study summary https://www.kratomscience.com/2021/10/26/study-high-dose-mitragynine-interacts-with-cannabinoid-receptor-to-impair-cognitive-functioning/

Follow Dr. Jonathan Cachat on social media @jcachat

Disclaimer: None of the content on this or any episode of the Kratom Science Podcast, Kratom Science Journal Club, or any of the pages of Kratomscience.com should be considered as medical claims or medical advice.

Dr. Jon Cachat and host Brian Gallagher look at a study that examined dopamine levels with an electrochemical sensor in rats administered with various levels of mitragynine. Dopamine release was detected as significant levels after a high dose of mitragynine after 4 days. Questions explored in this episode include: Does this accurately measure the kratom experience, since an isolated alkaloid is not the same as the entourage effect of several alkaloids in kratom? Since many of the alkaloids produce effects only after being metabolized, does kratom as a whole effect dopamine differently? Is this the proper use of the term "addiction" when the study seems to be about physical dependence?

Study examined in this episode:

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Music: Captain Bigwheel, "Moonrunner"

Disclaimer: None of the content on this or any episode of Kratom Science Journal Club or Kratom Science Podcast, nor on any of the pages of KratomScience.com should be taken as medical claims or medical advice.

Dr. Jonathan Cachat and host Brian Gallagher look at a case report of a supposed kratom-induced psychosis out of a student team from West Virginia University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, advised by MDs Alexander Muacevic and John R Adler.

A 43 year old man combat veteran with six tours of duty, traumatic brain injury, adrenal insufficiency, and post-traumatic stress disorder arrives at the ER with signs of psychosis. Prior to this, he hadn't slept in a week and ceased all medications including adderall, hormone pills, an antidepressant, and a weekly testosterone injection. He'd also been taking powder kratom and had ingested a bottle of liquid extract a week prior to going to the hospital. Could kratom have actually induced psychosis given all these elements combined, including prolonged insomnia? Could kratom have even contributed to his condition? If not, why does kratom get the headline? We look at the meat of the report, Dr. Jon goes off on why eye-catching titles for case reports can be damaging to science, and during the recording Brian finds another article about "Kratom-Induced Seizures", by a team of medical students, advised by the same two doctors as the original report, Alexander Muacevic and John R Adler.

Study covered in this podcast: Cutlip, H. A., Bushman, E., Thottumari, L., Mogallapu, R., & Ang-Rabanes, M. (2021). A Case Report of Kratom-Induced Psychosis. Cureus, 13(6), e16073. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.16073

Follow Dr. Jonathan Cachat on social media @jcachat

Disclaimer: There is no content on the Kratom Science Podcast nor on KratomScience.com that in any way constitutes medical claims or medical advice. You should consult a medical professional for medical advice and we believe this sincerely. Take care.

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Please comment by August 9, 2021 to tell HHS/WHO to please keep kratom legal worldwide. Politely share your kratom story here, make sure you get a confirmation email and tracking number, and under "What are you commenting about?" Select "International Government - I0037" https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/07/23/2021-15685/international-drug-scheduling-convention-on-psychotropic-substances-single-convention-on-narcotic?fbclid=IwAR1jTz7JSte491H5eTQBwjrivN4Y60s1t-kIPc1iy9UvnjfY2kkwHNFuBvM

Disclaimer: None of the content on this podcast or on KratomScience.com constitutes medical advice, nor is it intended to be the *wink wink* kind of medical advice. Go to a doctor if you're sick. Do not refuse treatments that have been shown to be beneficial from years of hard work by scientists in the medical field. We're all adults here and we know that there's no evidence kratom is a cure for any disease, virus, infection, or any ailment.

Today Dr. Jon and Brian look at a study from University of Science in Malaysia, testing whether kratom alkaloids can be "chemosensitizers", in other words, help chemotherapy drugs in killing or slowing the proliferation of cancer cells. In this in vitro study on cancer cell lines, researchers found that a combination of the kratom alkaloids mitragynine and speciociliatine helped the chemo drug cisplatin in slowing and killing throat cancer cells. The research also showed that any combination of kratom alkaloids does NOT slow or kill cancer cells on its own. Plus, Dr. Jon talks about the latest on cancer and cannabis/cannabinoids. We end with talking about the HHS comment period and potential international controls on kratom in the future.

Study referenced in this podcast:

Follow Dr. Jonathan Cachat on Social Media @jcachat

Disclaimer: There is no content on the Kratom Science Podcast nor on KratomScience.com that in any way constitutes medical claims or medical advice. You should consult a medical professional for medical advice and we believe this sincerely. Take care.

Neuroscientist Dr. Jon Cachat and host Brian Gallagher look at a study from University of Science in Malaysia that studies kratom extracts using various solvents: water, methanol, ethanol, and ethyl acetate. The technique they use, accelerated solvent extracting, uses less time and a lower amount of solvent for a safer and more environmentally friendly extraction technique. This technique has been established in botanical extractions, but is not commonly used for commercial kratom extracts. Some large kratom suppliers have been accused of outsourcing their extractions to China, and products come back containing toxic levels of residual solvents like chloroform and methanol, which could have serious health consequences. Further discussion is included on regulation of extracts, the benefits of extracts, the availability of full spectrum extracts (vs. extracts containing a single or only a few alkaloids), and how a kratom ban would exacerbate risks and dangers of contamination and adulteration especially in extract products. Shout out to Drew Turner for his comment on Twitter

Study referenced in this episode: Goh, Y. S., Karunakaran, T., Murugaiyah, V., Santhanam, R., Abu Bakar, M. H., & Ramanathan, S. (2021). Accelerated Solvent Extractions (ASE) of Mitragyna speciosa Korth. (Kratom) Leaves: Evaluation of Its Cytotoxicity and Antinociceptive Activity. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 26(12), 3704. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26123704

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Catch Dr. Jonathan Cachat @jcachat on social media and CCVResearch.com

Disclaimer: There is no content on the Kratom Science Podcast nor on KratomScience.com that in any way constitutes medical claims or medical advice. You should consult a medical professional for medical advice and we believe this sincerely. Take care.