This study looked at how kratom, a popular plant used to treat pain and opioid withdrawal, affects the development of baby zebrafish. The researchers exposed zebrafish embryos to different amounts of kratom, two of its main chemicals (mitragynine and speciociliatine), and morphine. They found that high doses of kratom and its chemicals could be harmful to the embryos, causing them to die or develop abnormally. However, morphine did not seem to be as toxic to the embryos.
The study was done in a lab using zebrafish embryos, not in the real world with people. Zebrafish are often used in research because their early development is similar to humans, but they are much easier and faster to study.
Key takeaways:
- High doses of kratom and its chemicals can be harmful to developing embryos.
- Morphine may be less toxic than kratom in this model.
- More research is needed to understand the potential risks of kratom, especially during pregnancy.
For further reading:
Link: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2021.714918/full
Full Citation:
Damodaran, T., Chear, N. J.-Y., Murugaiyah, V., Mordi, M. N., & Ramanathan, S. (2021). Comparative Toxicity Assessment of Kratom Decoction, Mitragynine and Speciociliatine Versus Morphine on Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Embryos. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 12, https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.714918
