Cocaine as a naturally occurring insecticide
by
Nathanson JA, Hunnicutt EJ,
Kantham L, Scavone C
Department of Neurology,
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1993 Oct 15; 90(20):9645-8


ABSTRACT

Although cocaine has a fascinating and complex medicinal history in man, its natural function in plants is unknown. The present studies demonstrate that cocaine exerts insecticidal effects at concentrations which occur naturally in coca leaves. Unlike its known action on dopamine reuptake in mammals, cocaine's pesticidal effects are shown to result from a potentiation of insect octopaminergic neurotransmission. Amine-reuptake blockers of other structural classes also exert pesticidal activity with a rank order of potency distinct from that known to affect vertebrate amine transporters. These findings suggest that cocaine functions in plants as a natural insecticide and that octopamine transporters may be useful sites for targeting pesticides with selectivity toward invertebrates.


Reward
Dopamine
GBR12909
Eloria noyesi
Noradrenaline
Cocaine hotspots
Cocaine withdrawal
Dopaminergic flies?
The Imperial Whizzball?
The neural basis of addiction
Toenail clippings of the rich and famous
Bugs on drugs: freebasing flies go hyperkinetic

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24



Refs
HOME
HedWeb
Drug Test FAQ
BLTC Research
Paradise-Engineering
Utopian Pharmacology
The Hedonistic Imperative
When Is It Best To Take Crack Cocaine?

swan image
The Good Drug Guide
The Responsible Parent's Guide To Healthy Mood Boosters For All The Family