title: Acute and sub-chronic effects of purified cathinone from khat (Catha edulis) on behavioural profiles in vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops).
abstract: We investigated the cumulative effects of cathinone on behavioural alterations in single-caged vervet monkeys. Fourteen adult vervets were divided into tests (12 animals) and controls (2 animals), and exposed to escalating doses of cathinone at alternate days of each week for 4 months in presence and absence of cage enrichment. One month of pre-treatment phase served to establish baseline values. Composite behavioural scores of aggression, anxiety, abnormal responses, withdrawal and appetite loss were done. A series of repeated measures analysis of variances were conducted to examine the extent to which cathinone administration was associated with patterns of changes in behavioural data. Results indicate a dose-dependent effect of cathinone on increases of aggression, anxiety, abnormal responses, withdrawal, and appetite loss. The findings demonstrate that at high doses and long-term exposure, cathinone causes behavioural alterations probably via changes in presynaptic striatal dopamine system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology, University of Nairobi, P.O Box 30197-00100, Nairobi, Kenya, kimungui2002@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Albert W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Nyongesa
authors.forename: Jemimah A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Oduma
authors.forename: Motohiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Hesbon O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Odongo
authors.forename: Pius A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Adoyo
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: al'Absi
mesh_terms: D000470:Alkaloids / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D029754:Catha; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018515:Plant Leaves; D018520:Plant Shoots; D011897:Random Allocation
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; D010936:Plant Extracts; C023665:cathinone