# Discovery of Iboga-Derived Ligands for the Sigma‑2 Receptor

## TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of new iboga-based compounds that strongly bind to the sigma-2 receptor, offering potential for treating substance use disorders.

## Contribution

The study introduces iboga alkaloids as a novel scaffold for developing sigma-2 receptor ligands.

## Key findings

- Two iboga-derived compounds show high affinity for the sigma-2 receptor.
- The compounds were tested through the NIMH Psychoactive Drug Screening Program.

## Abstract

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a mental condition that
affects
a person’s brain and behavior, leading to a lack of control
with alcohol, drug, and medication use. The lack of efficacious and
novel treatments for SUD is a growing concern. As such, we have synthesized
a series of iboga alkaloid derivatives and evaluated their receptor
binding profiles against a panel of CNS-based proteins, which were
performed at the National Institute of Mental Health Psychoactive
Drug Screening Program. These studies revealed two compounds that
exhibit high affinity for the sigma-2 receptor and introduce the iboga
alkaloid framework as a new scaffold for the development of sigma-2
ligands.