Nuciferine
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Nuciferine is an alkaloid found within the plants Nymphaea caerulea and Nelumbo nucifera. It interacts with various serotonin and dopamine receptors, acting as an antagonist of some receptors and as an agonist of others, and additionally acts as a dopamine reuptake inhibitor, among other actions.
Pharmacology
A 1978 study found that nuciferine acts as a dopamine receptor blocker producing neuroleptic effects, whereas its Hofmann degradation product atherosperminine stimulates dopamine receptors, producing opposing psychopharmacological effects.
According to a newer study from 2016, nuciferine acts as an antagonist at 5-HT2A, 5-HT2C, and 5-HT2B receptors, an inverse agonist at the 5-HT7 receptor, a partial agonist at D2, D5, and 5-HT6 receptors, and an agonist at 5-HT1A and D4 receptors. Additionally, it inhibits the dopamine transporter (DAT).
In rodent models relating to antipsychotic drug effects, nuciferine has shown various actions such as blocking head-twitch response and discriminative stimulus effects of a 5-HT2A receptor agonist, enhancing amphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion, inhibiting phencyclidine (PCP)-induced hyperlocomotion, and restoring PCP-induced disruption of pre-pulse inhibition without inducing catalepsy.
Nuciferine may also potentiate morphine analgesia. The median lethal dose in mice is 289 mg/kg. It is structurally related to apomorphine and other aporphine derivatives.
Nuciferine has been reported to have various anti-inflammatory effects, possibly mediated via PPAR delta activation.