The Addictive and Neurotoxicological Evaluation of Cannabis sativa, male Carica papaya, Nicotiana tabacum and Datura stramonium Alkaloid Extracts via Neuroinflammatory, Neurotransmitter and Oxidative Systems

Abstract Drug addiction is a relapsing and chronic brain ailment that is accompanied by habitual, incontrollable and pathological pattern of substance seeking and usage despite the associated severe negative social and health consequences. This study evaluated the addictive and neurotoxicological evaluation of Cannabis sativa , male Carica papaya, Nicotiana tabacum and Datura stramonium alkaloid extracts via neuroinflammatory, neurotransmitter and oxidative systems. For 90 days, the alkaloid extracts were orally administered to experimental rats and neurobehavioral paradigms were evaluated on day 91. Rats were sacrificed and striatum homogenate prepared. Expression of addition and neurotoxicity-related genes, alongside biochemical neurotransmitter and cytokine metabolisms were evaluated. Result established the addictive and neurotoxicological potentials of the alkaloid extracts via behavioural paradigms, coupled with inflammatory, monoaminergic, apoptotic, cholinergic, oxidative and glutamatergic neurotransmission systems modulations. However, observed neurotoxicity of the psychoactive plants’ alkaloids was not directly proportional to their addictiveness as the psychoactive plants ranked AECS > AENT > AEDS > AECM in addictiveness but ranked AEDS > AENT > AECS > AECM for toxicological potentials, as measured using related behavioural, neurotransmitter, apoptotic and inflammatory systems. Conclusively, the toxicological effects of the psychoactive plants’ alkaloids are mostly expressed at high doses.