Anti-addiction drug ibogaine inhibits hERG channels: a cardiac arrhythmia risk.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
In vitro bench study investigating cellular electrophysiological mechanisms
PubMed 22458604 · doi:10.1111/j.1369-1600.2012.00447.x
What was done
Electrophysiological laboratory testing evaluating the effect of therapeutic concentrations of ibogaine on human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) potassium channel currents.
What was found
Therapeutic concentrations of ibogaine reduce currents through hERG potassium channels. The abstract provides no specific numerical values, percentages, or concentrations.
Why it matters
It identifies a direct molecular mechanism explaining how ibogaine can cause life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias.
Limits
This is an in vitro bench study devoid of clinical human or in vivo animal outcome data. No quantitative metrics or sample sizes are reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Ibogaine interacts with hERG potassium channels to produce cardiac arrhythmias.