Metabolomic studies of depression patients treated with ayahuasca

• Grant number: 18/01525-3
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: April 01, 2018 - December 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Alessandra Sussulini
• Grantee: Alessandra Sussulini
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Draulio Barros de Araujo ; Luís Fernando Farah de Tófoli ; Nicole Leite Galvão Coelho

Abstract

Neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression, are extremely complex in terms of clinical and biochemical aspects and present a multifactorial etiology. Moreover, there are two critical questions related to those illnesses, the first concerns the diagnostic, which is performed with basis in clinical observations, and the second is related to the treatment, which is empirically adjusted for each patient, according to their clinical response. Therefore, the understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of these diseases, as well as the mechanism of action and efficacy of the employed treatment becomes important. In this context, metabolomics strategy can provide relevant information in order to indicate the alterations caused by psychiatric diseases and/or their treatments in the metabolic profile of the patients, thus revealing potential biomarkers that can help in the diagnosis and in the treatment evaluation, inside the personalized medicine perspective. Ayahuasca is a brew made out of two Amazonian plants used in indigenous religious rituals, which is being recently explored in Neurosciences, due to its potential in the alternative treatment of depression. Therefore, in the present project, a systematic evaluation of the metabolites contained in blood serum samples of treatment-resistant depression patients, treated either with ayahuasca or placebo, is proposed, aiming at identify potential biomarkers related to this disease and/or to its treatment with ayahuasca using metabolomic strategies based on liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. (AU)

Scientific publications

(7)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SANTA CRUZ, ELISA CASTANEDA; ZANDONADI, FLAVIA DA SILVA; FONTES, WAGNER; SUSSULINI, ALESSANDRA. pilot study indicating the dysregulation of the complement and coagulation cascades in treated schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patient. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS, v. 1869, n. 8, AUG 2021. (14/50867-3, 18/01525-3)

GUIMARAES, IVANILCE CRISTINA; TOFOLI, LUIS FERNANDO; SUSSULINI, ALESSANDRA. Determination of the Elemental Composition of Ayahuasca and Assessments Concerning Consumer Safety. BIOLOGICAL TRACE ELEMENT RESEARCH, v. 199, n. 3, p. 1179-1184, MAR 2021. (18/01525-3, 14/50867-3)

BARBOSA, LUIDY DARLLAN; SUSSULINI, ALESSANDRA. Recent advances in LA-ICP-MS for biomedical applications. BIOMEDICAL SPECTROSCOPY AND IMAGING, v. 8, n. 3-4, p. 47-54, 2019. (18/01525-3)

SOUZA, RITA C. Z.; ZANDONADI, FLAVIA S.; FREITAS, DONIZETE P.; TOFOLI, LUIS F. F.; SUSSULINI, ALESSANDRA. Validation of an analytical method for the determination of the main ayahuasca active compounds and application to real ayahuasca samples from Brazil. JOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHY B-ANALYTICAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE BIOMEDICAL AND LIFE SCIENCES, v. 1124, p. 197-203, AUG 15 2019. (14/50867-3, 18/01525-3)

SANTA CRUZ, ELISA C.; MADRID, KATHERINE C.; ARRUDA, MARCO A. Z.; SUSSULINI, ALESSANDRA. Association between trace elements in serum from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia patients considering treatment effects. JOURNAL OF TRACE ELEMENTS IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY, v. 59, MAY 2020. (14/50867-3, 18/01525-3)

KAASIK, HELLE; SOUZA, RITA C. Z.; ZANDONADI, FLAVIA S.; TOFOLI, LUIS FERNANDO; SUSSULINI, ALESSANDRA. Chemical Composition of Traditional and Analog Ayahuasca. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOACTIVE DRUGS, v. 53, n. 1, SEP 2020. (14/50867-3, 18/01525-3)

OLIVEIRA, LUAN FELIPE CAMPOS; DE MORAIS, DAMILA RODRIGUES; CORREA, DELEON NASCIMENTO; DE MORAIS CAMPELO, JACQUELINE; SUSSULINI, ALESSANDRA; EBERLIN, MARCOS NOGUEIRA; SANTOS, JANDYSON MACHADO. Rapid and direct detection of artificially aged papers employing easy ambient sonic-spray ionization mass spectrometry. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, v. 35, n. 9, MAY 15 2021. (18/01525-3)