Evaluating Ghost Pipe (Monotropa uniflora) as a Potential Source of Novel Analgesic Compounds

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Chronic pain is one of the most common reasons for seeking medical care, affecting 50 million Americans. While
often treated with opioid pharmaceutical or surgical interventions, complementary traditional health approaches
to pain management may offer safer, more effective, and cost-efficient options. Ghost pipe (Monotropa uniflora,
Ericaceae) is a North American medicinal plant that has been used historically for its analgesic effects and is still
popular today. Yet, there are zero modern publications on either the phytochemistry or efficacy of the plant.
Based upon our extensive survey of ghost pipe consumers, and preliminary data suggesting pain response
modulation in a murine model, I hypothesize that ghost pipe is a botanical analgesic capable of exerting
effects on neurological and analgesic responses via novel bioactive compounds. This proposal provides
novel research training in pharmacognosy and analgesic screening methods to identify compounds from ghost
pipe that modulate pain. Ghost pipe extracts and fractions will be chemically profiled to provide a metabolomic
baseline and insight into the chemical diversity of this plant. They will be evaluated for their binding affinity for a
panel of human neuro-receptors in a radioligand binding assay, after which a biochemometric model will be
constructed to deduce which compounds are primarily responsible for the receptor binding. In addition, the ghost
pipe extracts and fractions will be examined in in vitro systems to establish anti-inflammatory activity, as well as
a murine in vivo models to determine potential analgesic effects. The bioassay data will be concatenated with
the metabolomic profiling to identify the compounds responsible for observed activity. Active compounds will be
isolated and characterized using high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance
(NMR). This research sets the stage for future in-depth mechanistic studies and assaying the addictive potential
of ghost pipe metabolites. This will advance the understanding and characterization of herbal analgesics, while
the experimental design experience, collection of data, development of phytochemical interventions, and
professional development activities described herein will result in the development of a well-rounded,
independent researcher.

Grant Number: 1F31AT013158-01A1
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Savannah Anez