Kratom is a plant from Southeast Asia that some people use to relieve pain and reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms. The article looks at the different chemicals found in kratom and how they affect the body. The main chemical in kratom is called mitragynine. When mitragynine is broken down in the body, it makes other chemicals like 7-hydroxymitragynine and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl. These chemicals can reduce pain, but also have some side effects
like constipation and addiction potential. The article also found a new chemical called 3- dehydromitragynine that can be toxic. Overall, the article provides a detailed scientific understanding of how kratom and its chemicals work in the body.

This study was done in a lab, using experiments with mice and human cell samples. It did not involve testing on humans directly.

Key takeaways:

• Mitragynine is the main chemical in kratom that reduces pain.
• Mitragynine is broken down in the body to make other active chemicals like 7- hydroxymitragynine and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl.
• These chemicals can reduce pain but also have side effects like constipation and addiction potential.
• A new toxic chemical called 3-dehydromitragynine was discovered as a byproduct of mitragynine breakdown.
• The study provides detailed scientific information about how kratom and its chemicals work in the body, but did not involve testing on humans.

For further reading:

Link: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01111

Full Citation:

Chakraborty, S., Uprety, R., Slocum, S. T., Irie, T., Le Rouzic, V., Li, X., … & Majumdar, S (2021). Oxidative Metabolism as a Modulator of Kratom’s Biological Actions. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 64(22), 16553-16572.