noribogaine

Noribogaine is the principal psychoactive metabolite of ibogaine, formed via O-demethylation. It is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in plants of the Apocynaceae family, notably Tabernanthe iboga. Noribogaine exhibits complex pharmacology and is thought to be primarily responsible for many of the antiaddictive effects attributed to ibogaine-containing preparations. Mechanistically, it acts as a potent serotonin reuptake inhibitor and has higher affinity than its parent compound for both κ-opioid (KOR) and μ-opioid receptors, where it functions as a biased agonist at KOR (favoring G protein signaling over β-arrestin recruitment) and likely as a partial agonist or antagonist at μ-opioid receptors. Noribogaine also acts as a weak NMDA receptor antagonist and inhibits hERG potassium channels, which can lead to QT prolongation and cardiac arrhythmias. Its long half-life in humans (28–49 hours) may contribute to sustained effects on opioid withdrawal symptoms by modulating serotonergic and opioid systems[1][2][4][7].

Other names

O-desmethylibogaine12-hydroxyibogamine12-OH-ibogamine