A rapid and simple method for the determination of psychoactive alkaloids by CE-UV: application to Peganum Harmala seed infusions

MARCOS TASCON; FERNANDO BENAVENTE; NORA VIZIOLI; LEONARDO G. GAGLIARDI

Drug Testing and Analysis

Wiley and Sons

Año: 2016

The β-carboline alkaloids of the harmala (HAlks) group are compounds widely spread in many natural sources, but found at relativelyhigh levels in some specific plants like Peganum harmala (Syrian rue) or Banisteriopsis caapi. HAlks are a reversible MonoAmino Oxidase type A Inhibitor (MAOI) and, as a consequence, these plants or their extracts can be used to produce psychotropiceffects when are combined with psychotropic drugs based on amino groups. Since the occurrence and the levels of the HAlks innatural sources are subject to significant variability, more widespread use is not clinical but recreational or ritual, for example B.caapi is a known part of the Ayahuasca ritual mixture. The lack of simple methods to control the variable levels of these compoundsin natural sources restricts the possibilities to dose in strict quantities and, as a consequence, limits its use with pharmacological or clinical purposes. In this work, we present a fast, simple, and robust method of quantifying simultaneously the six HAlksmore frequently found in plants, i.e., harmine, harmaline, harmol, harmalol, harmane, and norharmane, by capillary electrophoresis instruments equipped with the more common detector UV. The method is applied to analyze these HAlks in P. Harmala seeds infusion which is a frequent intake form for these HAlks. The method is validated in three different instruments in order to evaluate the transferability and to compare the performances between them. In this case, harmaline, harmine, and harmol werefound in the infusion samples.