Salvinorin A as a Potential Medication for Stroke

Abstract

This article is an overview of our effortstowards developing salvinorin A, which is a non–opioid kappa opioid receptor (KOR) agonist and an active component from the plant Salvia divinorum, for clinical usein the treatment of acute stroke. The intrinsic characteristics of salvinorin A, which include rapid onset of action, easy passage through the blood brain barrier with intranasal administration, high potency in regards to neurological protection and awelldocumented mechanism of action involving KOR agonism, makes it a promising potential therapeutic agent for acute stroke. Further studies are warranted to develop this compound for clinical use.