Azidomorphine: subjective effects and suppression of morphine abstinence

Iron-Mediated Photochemical Anti-Markovnikov Hydroazidation of Unactivated Olefins

Unactivated olefins are converted to alkyl azides with bench-stable NaN3 in the presence of FeCl3·6H2O under blue-light irradiation. The products are obtained with anti-Markovnikov selectivity, and the reaction can be performed under mild ambient conditions in the presence of air and moisture. The transformation displays broad functional group tolerance, which renders it suitable for functionalization of complex molecules. Mechanistic investigations are conducted to provide insight into the hydroazidation reaction and reveal the role of water from the iron hydrate as the H atom source.

Abuse liability studies of opioid agonist-antagonists in humans

Prediction of the abuse liability of a drug before it reaches the market is complicated by the fact that there are many factors that influence the actual abuse of a drug. Laboratory methods used in humans to assess the abuse liability of the opioids are reviewed and illustrative studies of morphine and the agonist-antagonist opioids, pentazocine, butorphanol, nalbuphine and buprenorphine, are presented. Three assessment methods, subjective effect measurement, self-administration and drug discrimination, provide information relevant to measuring reinforcing efficacy, a major determinant of the degree to which a drug is sought and self-administered by abusers. Physical dependence capacity, which can contribute to sustained drug use, is evaluated in direct addiction and substitution/suppression studies. Withdrawal precipitation studies measure antagonist activity which might limit abuse. The results of testing the agonist-antagonist opioids are generally consistent across these various methods and consistent with historical experience with these drugs, suggesting that these methods are useful in predicting abuse liability of novel opioids.

Azidomorphines: a new family of potent analgesics with low dependence capacity

1. Structure-activity relationship studies with new semi-synthetic isomorphine derivatives revealed that substitution of an azido group in position 6 (azidomorphines) greatly increases the analgesic potency whereas tolerance and dependence liability tend to decrease. 2. Azidomorphine (6-deoxy-6-azidodihydroisomorphine) and 14-hydroxyazidomorphine (6-deoxy-6-azidodihydro-14-hydroxyisomorphine) being in animal tests 40-300 times more potent than morphine, are the most effective analgesics among the semi-synthetic morphine alkaloids. 3. As demonstrated on mice, rats and rhesus monkeys, a remarkable dissociation between the analgesic potency and physical dependence capacity was the result of the introduction of the 6-azido group into dihydroisomorphine. 4. A dichotomy between analgesic effect and tolerance and addiction liability was demonstrated with azidomorphine also in man and the new substance proved to exert significantly less untoward effects than either morphine or pentazocine. 5. Rymazolium (Probon) a new non-narcotic analgesic which strongly potentiates the analgesic and antagonizes the respiratory depressant effect of morphine alkaloids in animals proved to hinder the development of tolerance to morphine in animals and man. 6. The azidomorphine-rymazolium association was found to be less respiratory depressant than azidomorphine administered alone. In patients with chronic intractable pain, an association of azidomorphine (0.5 mg) and rymazolium (150 mg) achieved total pain relief without noticeable euphoria and none of the twelve patients showed, according to the Himmelsbach scoring system, acute abstinence syndromes after nalorphine administration.

The metabolism of azidomorphine in a human subject

1. The metabolism of azidomorphine, a potent narcotic analgesic, was studied in a human subject who had received a single 1.8 mg dose subcutaneously. 2. Azidomorphine was excreted in the urine in small amounts as the intact drug and as a metabolite, 6-deoxy-6beta-aminodihydromorphine. Larger amounts of conjugated azidomorphine also were detected. 3. The azido group of azidomorphine was relatively stable towards enzymic and chemical change.