A study led by Chris McCurdy, Ph.D., FAAPS, and researchers in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, is featured on the cover of December’s American Chemical Society’s Pharmacology and Translational Science journal. McCurdy, a professor of medicinal chemistry and director of the UF Translational Drug Development Core, led the research examining the metabolism of a kratom alkaloid metabolite in human plasma and its effect on opioid potency and efficacy. In the study, UF researchers discovered that human plasma exposed to kratom can form mitragynine pseudoindoxyl — a highly potent opioid.
McCurdy began researching kratom in 2005 and is currently principal investigator on two multimillion dollar federal grants examining kratom’s potential to treat opioid withdrawal or dependence. His team has published extensively on the topic, and the study featured in the American Chemical Society’s Pharmacology and Translational Science journal represents the first time his team’s kratom research has appeared on a journal cover.