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Baldo BA. The entactogen 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ecstasy) as a treatment aid in psychotherapy and its safety concerns. Arch Toxicol 2024:10.1007/s00204-024-03765-8. [PMID: 38743292 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-024-03765-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
The phenylethylamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 'ecstasy'), is the prototypical example of an entactogen. Its original placement in highly restrictive drug usage categories in the US and UK, led to an inevitable restriction on MDMA neuroscience research and treatment. The dominant pharmacological effects of MDMA are its properties of release and inhibition of reuptake of amine neurotransmitter transporters for dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. MDMA is an agonist of a wide range of receptors; its mood-altering effects are mediated via 5-HT2A receptors; this receptor may also mediate its effects on body temperature, analgesia, and anxiolytic properties. The mechanisms underlying MDMA's entactogenic properties of sociability and interpersonal closeness are not known but release and involvement of oxytocin, a peptide thought by some to be involved in social bonding, has been suggested. Adverse effects of MDMA are mostly transient; acute multiorgan adverse effects occurring during raves or crowded dance gatherings include dehydration, hyperthermia, seizures, rhabdomyolysis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and acute renal failure. Deaths following MDMA taken by itself are rare compared to fatalities following coadministration with other drugs. A recent FDA-approved phase 3 clinical trial of MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) led to the conclusion that MDMA-assisted therapy represents a potential breakthrough treatment meriting expedited clinical evaluation. Despite the ongoing deliberations by the FDA and EMA for approval of MDMA treatment of PTSD, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) recently announced that after an evaluation of the therapeutic value, benefits, and risks of MDMA, it will permit its prescribing for the treatment of PTSD. Further examples of regulatory relaxation toward MDMA-assisted psychotherapy are underway. These include the FDA's recently approved clinical trial to assess MDMA's efficacy in the treatment of "asociality" in patients with schizophrenia and an open trial of MDMA treatment for alcohol-use disorder which showed decreased alcohol consumption. There are also ongoing studies on the little understood startle response, anxiety associated with life-threatening illness, and social anxiety in autistic adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian A Baldo
- Kolling Institute of Medical Research, Royal North Shore Hospital of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2065, Australia.
- Department of Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia.
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2
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Karabulut S, Kaur H, Gauld JW. Uncovering Structure-Activity Relationships of Phenethylamines: Paving the Way for Innovative Mental Health Treatments. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:972-982. [PMID: 38381069 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.3c00677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
The rapidly evolving psychedelic industry has garnered considerable attention due to 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted psychotherapy's ground-breaking success in treating moderate-to-severe Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in two Phase 3 clinical trials. This has opened Pandora's box for the development of innovative therapeutic modalities. Of particular interest are the phenethylamines and their ability to inhibit monoamine transporters. In this study, we employed the quantitative structure-activity relationship methodology to develop three vigorous models for the reuptake of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine through monoamine transporters. These models were thoroughly validated using various criteria, including fitting (R2DAT = 0.869, R2SERT = 0.828, and R2NET = 0.887), internal (Q2looDAT = 0.795, Q2looSERT = 0.784, and Q2looNET = 0.820), and external (RMSEextDAT = 0.373, R2extDAT = 0.831, RMSEextSERT = 0.200, R2extSERT = 0.955, RMSEextNET = 0.318, and R2extNET = 0.711) criteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sedat Karabulut
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Harpreet Kaur
- Pharmala Biotech, 82 Richmond Street E, Toronto, Ontario M5C 1P1, Canada
| | - James W Gauld
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4, Canada
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3
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Roy N, Das C, Paul M, Im J, Biswas G. Adsorptive Elimination of a Cationic Dye and a Hg (II)-Containing Antiseptic from Simulated Wastewater Using a Metal Organic Framework. Molecules 2024; 29:886. [PMID: 38398637 PMCID: PMC10892504 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29040886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Several types of pollutants have acute adverse effects on living bodies, and the effective removal of these pollutants remains a challenge. Safranin O (a biological dye) and merbromin (a topical mercury-containing antiseptic) are considered organic pollutants, and there are only a few reports on their removal. Synthesized and well-characterized (through PXRD, FTIR, FESEM, and EDS analysis) MOF-5 was used for the first time in the removal of safranin O and merbromin from simulated wastewater and real wastewater. In both cases, MOF-5 effectively removed contaminants. We found that in simulated wastewater, the highest efficiency of removal of safranin O was 53.27% (for 15 mg/L) at pH 10, and for merbromin, it was 41.49% (for 25 mg/L) at pH 6. In the case of real wastewater containing natural ions (Na+, K+, F-, Cl-, SO42-, PO43-, Mg2+, and Ca2+) and other molecules, the removal efficiencies of these two dyes decreased (34.00% and 26.28% for safranin O and merbromin, respectively) because of the presence of other ions and molecules. A plausible mechanism for the removal of these pollutants using MOF-5 was proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nilanjan Roy
- Department of Chemistry, Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University, Cooch Behar 736101, West Bengal, India; (N.R.); (C.D.)
| | - Chanchal Das
- Department of Chemistry, Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University, Cooch Behar 736101, West Bengal, India; (N.R.); (C.D.)
| | - Mohuya Paul
- Department of Electronic Materials, Devices and Equipment Engineering, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Republic of Korea;
| | - Jungkyun Im
- Department of Electronic Materials, Devices and Equipment Engineering, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Republic of Korea;
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Republic of Korea
| | - Goutam Biswas
- Department of Chemistry, Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University, Cooch Behar 736101, West Bengal, India; (N.R.); (C.D.)
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Wojtas A, Gołembiowska K. Molecular and Medical Aspects of Psychedelics. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:241. [PMID: 38203411 PMCID: PMC10778977 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Psychedelics belong to the oldest psychoactive drugs. They arouse recent interest due to their therapeutic applications in the treatment of major depressive disorder, substance use disorder, end-of-life anxiety,= and anxiety symptoms, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. In this review, the current state of preclinical research on the mechanism of action, neurotoxicity, and behavioral impact of psychedelics is summarized. The effect of selective 5-HT2A receptor agonists, 25I- and 25B-NBOMe, after acute and repeated administration is characterized and compared with the effects of a less selective drug, psilocybin. The data show a significant effect of NBOMes on glutamatergic, dopaminergic, serotonergic, and cholinergic neurotransmission in the frontal cortex, striatum, and nucleus accumbens. The increases in extracellular levels of neurotransmitters were not dose-dependent, which most likely resulted from the stimulation of the 5-HT2A receptor and subsequent activation of the 5-HT2C receptors. This effect was also observed in the wet dog shake test and locomotor activity. Chronic administration of NBOMes elicited rapid development of tolerance, genotoxicity, and activation of microglia. Acute treatment with psilocybin affected monoaminergic and aminoacidic neurotransmitters in the frontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and hippocampus but not in the amygdala. Psilocybin exhibited anxiolytic properties resulting from intensification of GABAergic neurotransmission. The data indicate that NBOMes as selective 5-HT2A agonists exert a significant effect on neurotransmission and behavior of rats while also inducing oxidative DNA damage. In contrast to NBOMes, the effects induced by psilocybin suggest a broader therapeutic index of this drug.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Krystyna Gołembiowska
- Unit II, Department of Pharmacology, Maj Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences, 12 Smętna Street, 31-343 Kraków, Poland;
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5
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Wang F, Pasin D, Skinnider MA, Liigand J, Kleis JN, Brown D, Oler E, Sajed T, Gautam V, Harrison S, Greiner R, Foster LJ, Dalsgaard PW, Wishart DS. Deep Learning-Enabled MS/MS Spectrum Prediction Facilitates Automated Identification Of Novel Psychoactive Substances. Anal Chem 2023; 95:18326-18334. [PMID: 38048435 PMCID: PMC10733899 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c02413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
The market for illicit drugs has been reshaped by the emergence of more than 1100 new psychoactive substances (NPS) over the past decade, posing a major challenge to the forensic and toxicological laboratories tasked with detecting and identifying them. Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) is the primary method used to screen for NPS within seized materials or biological samples. The most contemporary workflows necessitate labor-intensive and expensive MS/MS reference standards, which may not be available for recently emerged NPS on the illicit market. Here, we present NPS-MS, a deep learning method capable of accurately predicting the MS/MS spectra of known and hypothesized NPS from their chemical structures alone. NPS-MS is trained by transfer learning from a generic MS/MS prediction model on a large data set of MS/MS spectra. We show that this approach enables a more accurate identification of NPS from experimentally acquired MS/MS spectra than any existing method. We demonstrate the application of NPS-MS to identify a novel derivative of phencyclidine (PCP) within an unknown powder seized in Denmark without the use of any reference standards. We anticipate that NPS-MS will allow forensic laboratories to identify more rapidly both known and newly emerging NPS. NPS-MS is available as a web server at https://nps-ms.ca/, which provides MS/MS spectra prediction capabilities for given NPS compounds. Additionally, it offers MS/MS spectra identification against a vast database comprising approximately 8.7 million predicted NPS compounds from DarkNPS and 24.5 million predicted ESI-QToF-MS/MS spectra for these compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Wang
- Department
of Computing Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E8, Canada
- Alberta
Machine Intelligence Institute, Edmonton, Alberta T5J
3B1, Canada
| | - Daniel Pasin
- Section
of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
| | - Michael A. Skinnider
- Michael
Smith Laboratories, University of British
Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Lewis-Sigler
Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton
University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, United States
- Ludwig Institute
for Cancer Research, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, United States
| | - Jaanus Liigand
- Department
of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
- Institute
of Chemistry, University of Tartu, Tartu 50411, Estonia
| | - Jan-Niklas Kleis
- Institute
of Forensic Medicine, Forensic Toxicology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz 55131, Germany
| | - David Brown
- Forensic
Science Laboratory, ChemCentre, Bentley, Western Australia 6102, Australia
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Eponine Oler
- Department
of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Tanvir Sajed
- Department
of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Vasuk Gautam
- Department
of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Stephen Harrison
- Forensic
Science Laboratory, ChemCentre, Bentley, Western Australia 6102, Australia
| | - Russell Greiner
- Department
of Computing Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E8, Canada
- Alberta
Machine Intelligence Institute, Edmonton, Alberta T5J
3B1, Canada
| | - Leonard J. Foster
- Michael
Smith Laboratories, University of British
Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University
of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 2A1, Canada
| | - Petur Weihe Dalsgaard
- Section
of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2100, Denmark
| | - David S. Wishart
- Department
of Computing Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E8, Canada
- Department
of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
- Department of Laboratory
Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1C9, Canada
- Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2C8, Canada
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest
National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
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6
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Noe G, Shah K, Quattlebaum T, Munjal S. Rhabdomyolysis in the Context of Designer Benzodiazepine Misuse. Cureus 2023; 15:e50741. [PMID: 38234935 PMCID: PMC10794082 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.50741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Designer benzodiazepines belong to a class of lab-created psychoactive compounds, with limited federal regulation, no toxicity testing, and reported high potency, leading to substantial overdose risk and harmful clinical syndromes. Benzodiazepine misuse has been previously documented to be associated with rhabdomyolysis, with elevated creatine kinase (CK) during and after acute episodes of intoxication. Here, we present a case of profound rhabdomyolysis and associated acute kidney injury (AKI) after acute designer benzodiazepine intoxication. A 26-year-old male with a history of poly-substance misuse, including alcohol, psychedelics, opiates, kratom, and benzodiazepines, presented to the emergency department with altered mental status and agitation after an accidental overdose on liquid flubromazolam and clonazolam, designer benzodiazepines purchased online. He went on to develop seizure-like activity. Additional labs revealed AKI with creatinine 2.22 mg/dL (reference 0.74-1.35 mg/dL, baseline 0.88 mg/dL). He was discovered to have severe rhabdomyolysis that peaked at 131,920 U/L (reference 55-170 U/L) on the fourth day of admission. This case demonstrates the potential deleterious effects of the designer benzodiazepine class, including prolonged sedation, AKI, and severe rhabdomyolysis. In addition, seizure-like manifestations may occur during the intoxication or withdrawal phase. Designer benzodiazepines may produce rhabdomyolysis; however, the mechanism is unknown. Direct myotoxicity or prolonged immobilization may be contributors to rhabdomyolysis. More research is needed to elucidate the consequences of designer benzodiazepine misuse. Clinicians should be aware of their use given the ease of availability online and rising popularity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg Noe
- Department of Psychiatry, Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Health, Winston-Salem, USA
| | - Kaushal Shah
- Department of Psychiatry, Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Health, Winston-Salem, USA
| | - Taylor Quattlebaum
- Department of Psychiatry, Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Health, Winston-Salem, USA
| | - Sahil Munjal
- Department of Psychiatry, Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Health, Winston-Salem, USA
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7
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Jeong S, Yoon KS, Lee JM, Jo ES, Kim D, Choi SO. Neurotoxic and cardiotoxic effects of N-methyl-1-(naphthalen-2-yl)propan-2-amine (methamnetamine) and 1-phenyl-2-pyrrolidinylpentane (prolintane). Drug Chem Toxicol 2023; 46:430-440. [PMID: 35296205 DOI: 10.1080/01480545.2022.2049289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Two synthetic phenylethylamines, N-methyl-1-(naphthalen-2-yl)propan-2-amine (MNA) and 1-phenyl-2-pyrrolidinylpentane (prolintane), are being abused by people seeking hallucinogens for pleasure. These new psychotropic substances may provoke problems because there is no existing information about their toxicity and pharmacological behaviors. Therefore, we evaluated the safety of nerves and cardiovascular systems by determining toxicity after MNA and prolintane drugs administrations to mice and rat. Consequently, side effects such as increased spontaneous motion and body temperature were observed in oral administration of MNA. In addition, both substances reduced motor coordination levels. The IHC tests were conducted to see whether the immune response also shows abnormalities in brain tissue compared to the control group. It has been confirmed that the length of allograft inflammatory factor 1(IBA-1), an immune antibody known as microglia marker, has been shortened. We identified that a problem with the contact between synapses and neurons might be possibly produced. In the assessment of the cardiac toxicity harmfulness, no substances have been confirmed to be toxic to myocardial cells, but at certain concentrations, they have caused the QT prolongation, an indicator of ventricular arrhythmia. In addition, the hERG potassium channel, the biomarker of the QT prolongation, has been checked for inhibition. The results revealed that the possibility of QT prolongation through the hERG channel could not be excluded, and the two substances can be considered toxic that may cause ventricular arrhythmia. In sum, this study demonstrated that the possibility of toxicity in MNA and prolintane compounds might bring many harmful effects on nerves and hearts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sohee Jeong
- Pharmacological Research Division, Toxicological Evaluation and Research Department, National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Chungju-shi, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung Sik Yoon
- Pharmacological Research Division, Toxicological Evaluation and Research Department, National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Chungju-shi, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin-Moo Lee
- Pharmacological Research Division, Toxicological Evaluation and Research Department, National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Chungju-shi, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Sung Jo
- Pharmacological Research Division, Toxicological Evaluation and Research Department, National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Chungju-shi, Republic of Korea
| | - Dojung Kim
- Pharmacological Research Division, Toxicological Evaluation and Research Department, National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Chungju-shi, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun Ok Choi
- Pharmacological Research Division, Toxicological Evaluation and Research Department, National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Chungju-shi, Republic of Korea
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8
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Oh HA, Yoo JH, Kim YJ, Han KS, Woo DH. 4-EA-NBOMe, an amphetamine derivative, alters glutamatergic synaptic transmission through 5-HT 1A receptors on cortical neurons from SpragueDawley rat and pyramidal neurons from C57BL/6 mouse. Neurotoxicology 2023; 95:144-154. [PMID: 36738894 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2023.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
New psychoactive substances (NPSs) are compounds designed to mimic illegal recreational drugs. In particular, there are difficulties in legal restrictions because there is no fast NPS detection method to suppress the initial spread of NPS with criminal records; thus, they expose the public to serious health threats, including toxicity and dependence. However, the effects of NPSs on the brain and the related cellular mechanisms are well unknown. One of the recently emerging drugs is 4-ethylamphetamine-NBOMe (4-EA-NBOMe), a member of the 2 C phenylalanine family with a similar structure to methamphetamine (methA). In this study, we tested the effect of methA analogs on the glutamatergic synaptic transmission on primary cultured cortical neurons of SpragueDawley (SD) rats and C57BL/6 mice, and also layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of C57BL/6 mice. We found that acute treatment with 4-EA-NBOMe inhibits spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) and that withdrawal after chronic inhibition by 4-EA-NBOMe augments glutamatergic synaptic transmission. These modifications of synaptic responses are mediated by 5-HT1A receptors. These findings suggest that 4-EA-NBOMe directly affects the central nervous system by changing the efficacy of glutamatergic synaptic transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyun-A Oh
- Department of Advanced Toxicology Research, Korea Institute of Toxicology, KRICT, Daejeon 34114, South Korea
| | - Jae Hong Yoo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134 South Korea
| | - Ye-Ji Kim
- Department of Advanced Toxicology Research, Korea Institute of Toxicology, KRICT, Daejeon 34114, South Korea; Human and Environmental Toxicology, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34114, South Korea
| | - Kyung-Seok Han
- Department of Biological Sciences, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134 South Korea.
| | - Dong Ho Woo
- Department of Advanced Toxicology Research, Korea Institute of Toxicology, KRICT, Daejeon 34114, South Korea; Human and Environmental Toxicology, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34114, South Korea.
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9
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Zohairi F, Khandelia H, Hakami Zanjani AA. Interaction of psychedelic tryptamine derivatives with a lipid bilayer. Chem Phys Lipids 2023; 251:105279. [PMID: 36627076 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2023.105279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Naturally occurring psychedelics have been used for a long time as remedies or in religious ceremonies and recreational activities. Recent studies have proven the therapeutic potential of some psychedelic compounds to safely treat a wide range of diseases such as anxiety, depression, migraine, and addiction. It is hypothesized that psychedelic compounds like tryptamines can exert their effects by two possible mechanisms: binding to the transmembrane serotonin receptor and/or modifying the properties of the neuronal membrane that can alter the conformational equilibrium and desensitize receptors. The impact of three different tryptamine class compounds with a tertiary amine (dimethyltryptamine, bufotenine, and 5-MeO-DMT) in both neutral and charged forms on a model bilayer lipid membrane are studied using all-atom MD simulations. All compounds partition into the bilayer, and change membrane properties, but to different extents. We determine the tendency of compounds to partition into the membrane by free energy calculations. Neutral tryptamines partition into the bilayer almost completely. Dimethyltryptamine and 5-MeO-DMT cross the membrane spontaneously during the simulation time, but bufotenine does not, although it has the maximum effect on the structural properties of the membrane. However, protonated compounds partition partially into the bilayer and cannot pass through the middle of the membrane during the simulation time. In this way, subtle alteration of chemical structure can play a significant role in the improvement or deterioration of partitioning of these compounds into the bilayer and their passage across the membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fateme Zohairi
- Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of Luxembourg, 2 Av. de l'Universite, 4365 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Himanshu Khandelia
- PHYLIFE: Physical Life Science, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark.
| | - Ali Asghar Hakami Zanjani
- PHYLIFE: Physical Life Science, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK-5230 Odense M, Denmark.
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10
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Crulli B, Dines AM, Blanco G, Giraudon I, Eyer F, Liechti ME, Miró Ò, Hovda KE, Heyerdahl F, Yates C, Vallersnes OM, Wood DM, Dargan PI. Novel psychoactive substances-related presentations to the emergency departments of the European drug emergencies network plus (Euro-DEN plus) over the six-year period 2014-2019. Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2022; 60:1318-1327. [PMID: 36322684 DOI: 10.1080/15563650.2022.2137524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) have been increasingly reported in the last 15-20 years. We aimed to describe presentations to the emergency department (ED) with acute recreational drug toxicity involving NPS. METHODS Data were extracted from the European Drug Emergencies Network (Euro-DEN) Plus database for all presentations to ED (36 EDs in 24 European countries) with acute toxicity between January 2014 and December 2019. Patient demographics, agents involved, and clinical outcomes were described and the subgroup of presentations involving NPS was compared with the rest of the cohort. RESULTS Out of 43,633 Euro-DEN Plus presentations, 3304 (7.6%) involved at least one NPS. Agents were identified mainly based on self-report or clinical presentation, with analytical confirmation being performed only in 17.9% of NPS presentations. The proportion of NPS presentations varied by centre (0-48.8%). For centres where data were available for all 6 years, NPS-related presentations peaked in 2015 (11.9%). In 2014, 78.4% of NPS agents reported were cathinones, while only 3.4% were synthetic cannabinoids (SCs); conversely, in 2019 only 11.6% of NPS agents reported were cathinones, while 72.2% were SCs. NPS-related presentations involved younger patients (median 30 (23-37) vs. 32 (25-40) years, p < 0.001) and more males (84.8 vs. 75.8%, p < 0.001) compared with the rest of the cohort. Patients presenting to ED after using NPS were more likely to self-discharge (22.8 vs. 15.1%), less likely to be admitted to critical care (3.6 vs. 6.1%) but had a longer length of stay in hospital (median 5.1 (2.7-18.7) vs. 4.7 (2.5-9.2) h, p < 0.001). Death occurred in 0.5% of all presentations involving NPS and in 0.4% of non-NPS presentations. CONCLUSIONS This large multicentre series of NPS presentations to European EDs showed marked geographical variation and changes over time in the proportion of presentations to ED involving NPS, as well as the proportion of NPS subgroups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Crulli
- Clinical Toxicology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's Health Partners, London, UK
| | - Alison M Dines
- Clinical Toxicology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's Health Partners, London, UK
| | - Georgina Blanco
- Clinical Toxicology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's Health Partners, London, UK
| | - Isabelle Giraudon
- European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Florian Eyer
- Department of Clinical Toxicology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Matthias E Liechti
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Òscar Miró
- Emergency Department, Hospital Clínic, IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Knut E Hovda
- Department of Acute Medicine, The National CBRNE Centre of Medicine, Medical Division, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Fridtjof Heyerdahl
- Division of Prehospital Services, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.,Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Christopher Yates
- Emergency Department, Hospital Son Espases, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
| | - Odd Martin Vallersnes
- Department of General Practice, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.,Oslo Accident and Emergency Outpatient Clinic, City of Oslo Health Agency, Oslo, Norway
| | - David M Wood
- Clinical Toxicology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's Health Partners, London, UK.,Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Paul I Dargan
- Clinical Toxicology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's Health Partners, London, UK.,Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
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11
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Validation of a simple and quick method for determination of psychoactive substances, drugs and their metabolites from human blood by LC-MS/MS. Microchem J 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2022.107922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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12
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Weng TI, Chen HY, Chin LW, Chou HH, Wu MH, Chen GY, Chen JY, Shih CP, Lin CC, Fang CC. Comparison of clinical characteristics between meth/amphetamine and synthetic cathinone users presented to the emergency department. Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2022; 60:926-932. [PMID: 35438590 DOI: 10.1080/15563650.2022.2062376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Synthetic cathinones (SC) are popular new psychoactive substances that produce sympathomimetic toxicity. Meth/amphetamine and SC have similar chemical structures and pharmacological effects. We aimed to compare the clinical characteristics between meth/amphetamine and SC users presenting to the emergency department (ED). METHODS This retrospective observational cohort study included patients who presented to six EDs from May 2017 to April 2021 with symptoms that related to recreational drug use and whose urine toxicology tests were positive only for meth/amphetamine or SC through liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS There were 379 patients who tested positive only for meth/amphetamine (MA group), and 87 patients tested positive only for SC (SC groups). Patients in the MA group were older than those in the SC group (median (IQR); MA: 37.0 (30-43.7), SC: 25.0 (21.0-32.7), p < 0.001). There were no significant between-group differences in the sex distribution and initial chief complaints. Compared with the MA group, the SC group had more cases of tachycardia (≥ 135/min; MA: 29 (8.2%), SC:16 (19.0%), p = 0.0031) and hyperthermia (≥ 38 °C; MA: 31 (8.2%), SC:18 (20.7%), p = 0.001). Besides, the SC group had significantly higher levels of creatinine kinase (CK, IU/L; MA: 263 (115-601), SC: 497 (206-9216), p = 0.008) as well as a higher risk of rhabdomyolysis (CK > 1000; MA:32 (8.4%), SC: 16 (18.4%), p = 0.006) and severe rhabdomyolysis (CK > 10,000; MA:10 (2.6%), SC:10 (11.5%), p = 001). Multivariable logistic regression analyses indicated SC group in comparison with the MA group (adjusted odds ratio: 2.732, 95% confidence interval: 1. 250-5.972, p = 0.012) was an association with the risk of rhabdomyolysis. CONCLUSION Our findings demonstrate that tachycardia, hyperthermia, and rhabdomyolysis were more common among cathinone users than among meth/amphetamine users presented to EDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Te-I Weng
- Department of Emergency Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine and National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.,Forensic and Clinical Toxicology Center, College of Medicine and National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Forensic Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsien-Yi Chen
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Lengsu W Chin
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Da Chien General Hospital, Miaoli, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Hui Chou
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan
| | - Meng-Huan Wu
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Emergency Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Guan-Yuan Chen
- Forensic and Clinical Toxicology Center, College of Medicine and National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Forensic Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ju-Yu Chen
- Forensic and Clinical Toxicology Center, College of Medicine and National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Forensic Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Pang Shih
- Department of Nursing, Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, Hsin-Chu, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Chuan Lin
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Chung Fang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine and National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.,Forensic and Clinical Toxicology Center, College of Medicine and National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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13
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Simão AY, Antunes M, Cabral E, Oliveira P, Rosendo LM, Brinca AT, Alves E, Marques H, Rosado T, Passarinha LA, Andraus M, Barroso M, Gallardo E. An Update on the Implications of New Psychoactive Substances in Public Health. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19084869. [PMID: 35457736 PMCID: PMC9028227 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19084869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of new psychoactive substances has earned a great deal of attention, and several reports of acute poisoning and deaths have been issued involving, for instance, synthetic opiates. In recent years, there have been profound alterations in the legislation concerning consumption, marketing, and synthesis of these compounds; rapid alert systems have also been subject to changes, and new substances and new markets, mainly through the internet, have appeared. Their effects and how they originate in consumers are still mostly unknown, primarily in what concerns chronic toxicity. This review intends to provide a detailed description of these substances from the point of view of consumption, toxicokinetics, and health consequences, including case reports on intoxications in order to help researchers and public health agents working daily in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Y. Simão
- Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde (CICS-UBI), Universidade da Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilha, Portugal; (A.Y.S.); (M.A.); (E.C.); (P.O.); (L.M.R.); (A.T.B.); (E.A.); (H.M.); (T.R.)
- Laboratório de Fármaco-Toxicologia, UBIMedical, Universidade da Beira Interior, 6200-284 Covilha, Portugal
| | - Mónica Antunes
- Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde (CICS-UBI), Universidade da Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilha, Portugal; (A.Y.S.); (M.A.); (E.C.); (P.O.); (L.M.R.); (A.T.B.); (E.A.); (H.M.); (T.R.)
- Serviço de Química e Toxicologia Forenses, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses, Delegação do Sul, 1150-219 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Emanuel Cabral
- Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde (CICS-UBI), Universidade da Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilha, Portugal; (A.Y.S.); (M.A.); (E.C.); (P.O.); (L.M.R.); (A.T.B.); (E.A.); (H.M.); (T.R.)
| | - Patrik Oliveira
- Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde (CICS-UBI), Universidade da Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilha, Portugal; (A.Y.S.); (M.A.); (E.C.); (P.O.); (L.M.R.); (A.T.B.); (E.A.); (H.M.); (T.R.)
| | - Luana M. Rosendo
- Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde (CICS-UBI), Universidade da Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilha, Portugal; (A.Y.S.); (M.A.); (E.C.); (P.O.); (L.M.R.); (A.T.B.); (E.A.); (H.M.); (T.R.)
| | - Ana Teresa Brinca
- Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde (CICS-UBI), Universidade da Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilha, Portugal; (A.Y.S.); (M.A.); (E.C.); (P.O.); (L.M.R.); (A.T.B.); (E.A.); (H.M.); (T.R.)
| | - Estefânia Alves
- Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde (CICS-UBI), Universidade da Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilha, Portugal; (A.Y.S.); (M.A.); (E.C.); (P.O.); (L.M.R.); (A.T.B.); (E.A.); (H.M.); (T.R.)
| | - Hernâni Marques
- Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde (CICS-UBI), Universidade da Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilha, Portugal; (A.Y.S.); (M.A.); (E.C.); (P.O.); (L.M.R.); (A.T.B.); (E.A.); (H.M.); (T.R.)
- Laboratório de Fármaco-Toxicologia, UBIMedical, Universidade da Beira Interior, 6200-284 Covilha, Portugal
| | - Tiago Rosado
- Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde (CICS-UBI), Universidade da Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilha, Portugal; (A.Y.S.); (M.A.); (E.C.); (P.O.); (L.M.R.); (A.T.B.); (E.A.); (H.M.); (T.R.)
- Laboratório de Fármaco-Toxicologia, UBIMedical, Universidade da Beira Interior, 6200-284 Covilha, Portugal
| | - Luís A. Passarinha
- Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde (CICS-UBI), Universidade da Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilha, Portugal; (A.Y.S.); (M.A.); (E.C.); (P.O.); (L.M.R.); (A.T.B.); (E.A.); (H.M.); (T.R.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Departamento de Química, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA, 2819-516 Caparica, Portugal
- Correspondence: (L.A.P.); (M.A.); (M.B.); (E.G.); Tel.: +351-275-329-001 (L.A.P. & E.G.); +55-800-042-0384 (M.A.); +351-21-881-1800 (M.B.)
| | - Maristela Andraus
- Chromatox/Dasa Laboratory Ltda. Sumaré, São Paulo 01259-000, Brazil
- Correspondence: (L.A.P.); (M.A.); (M.B.); (E.G.); Tel.: +351-275-329-001 (L.A.P. & E.G.); +55-800-042-0384 (M.A.); +351-21-881-1800 (M.B.)
| | - Mário Barroso
- Serviço de Química e Toxicologia Forenses, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses, Delegação do Sul, 1150-219 Lisboa, Portugal
- Correspondence: (L.A.P.); (M.A.); (M.B.); (E.G.); Tel.: +351-275-329-001 (L.A.P. & E.G.); +55-800-042-0384 (M.A.); +351-21-881-1800 (M.B.)
| | - Eugenia Gallardo
- Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde (CICS-UBI), Universidade da Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilha, Portugal; (A.Y.S.); (M.A.); (E.C.); (P.O.); (L.M.R.); (A.T.B.); (E.A.); (H.M.); (T.R.)
- Laboratório de Fármaco-Toxicologia, UBIMedical, Universidade da Beira Interior, 6200-284 Covilha, Portugal
- Correspondence: (L.A.P.); (M.A.); (M.B.); (E.G.); Tel.: +351-275-329-001 (L.A.P. & E.G.); +55-800-042-0384 (M.A.); +351-21-881-1800 (M.B.)
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14
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Zhai W, Li L, Zhao J, Xiang P, Liu M, Shi Y, Dang Y. Tentative identification of in vitro metabolites of O-acetylpsilocin (psilacetin, 4-AcO-DMT) by UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap MS. Drug Test Anal 2022; 14:1300-1309. [PMID: 35312166 DOI: 10.1002/dta.3255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
4-Acetoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (4-AcO-DMT, psilacetin, O-acetylpsilocin) is a synthetic tryptamine with psychedelic properties. Psilacetin may also act as precursor drug of psilocin, similar to psilocybin, but little is known about its metabolism. In this study, the phase I and phase II in vitro metabolism of 4-AcO-DMT was investigated with pooled human liver microsomes, and the reaction mixture was analyzed using liquid chromatography-quadrupole/electrostatic field orbitrap mass spectrometry. Fifteen metabolites were formed after incubation of pooled human liver microsomes with 4-AcO-DMT (12 phase I metabolites and 3 phase II metabolites). The proposed metabolite structures were based on accurate mass analysis and MS/MS fragmentation patterns. The biotransformations included hydrolysis, hydroxylation, N-demethylation, oxidation, and conjugation with glucuronic acid. The hydrolysis metabolite was the most abundant compound. For the development of new methods for the identification of 4-AcO-DMT consumption, the beta-hydroxylation metabolite of 4-AcO-DMT (M2-1) is recommended as a biomarker. The data reported in this work might be applicable to metabolic transformation of 4-AcO-DMT in vivo and also forensically helpful.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenya Zhai
- College of Medicine and Forensics, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China.,Department of Forensic Toxicology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai, China
| | - Le Li
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai, China
| | - Junbo Zhao
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai, China
| | - Ping Xiang
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai, China
| | - Mengxi Liu
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai, China
| | - Yan Shi
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai, China
| | - Yonghui Dang
- College of Medicine and Forensics, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi'an, China
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15
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Rudin D, McCorvy JD, Glatfelter GC, Luethi D, Szöllősi D, Ljubišić T, Kavanagh PV, Dowling G, Holy M, Jaentsch K, Walther D, Brandt SD, Stockner T, Baumann MH, Halberstadt AL, Sitte HH. (2-Aminopropyl)benzo[β]thiophenes (APBTs) are novel monoamine transporter ligands that lack stimulant effects but display psychedelic-like activity in mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2022; 47:914-923. [PMID: 34750565 PMCID: PMC8882185 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01221-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Derivatives of (2-aminopropyl)indole (API) and (2-aminopropyl)benzofuran (APB) are new psychoactive substances which produce stimulant effects in vivo. (2-Aminopropyl)benzo[β]thiophene (APBT) is a novel sulfur-based analog of API and APB that has not been pharmacologically characterized. In the current study, we assessed the pharmacological effects of six APBT positional isomers in vitro, and three of these isomers (3-APBT, 5-APBT, and 6-APBT) were subjected to further investigations in vivo. Uptake inhibition and efflux assays in human transporter-transfected HEK293 cells and in rat brain synaptosomes revealed that APBTs inhibit monoamine reuptake and induce transporter-mediated substrate release. Despite being nonselective transporter releasers like MDMA, the APBT compounds failed to produce locomotor stimulation in C57BL/6J mice. Interestingly, 3-APBT, 5-APBT, and 6-APBT were full agonists at 5-HT2 receptor subtypes as determined by calcium mobilization assays and induced the head-twitch response in C57BL/6J mice, suggesting psychedelic-like activity. Compared to their APB counterparts, ABPT compounds demonstrated that replacing the oxygen atom with sulfur results in enhanced releasing potency at the serotonin transporter and more potent and efficacious activity at 5-HT2 receptors, which fundamentally changed the in vitro and in vivo profile of APBT isomers in the present studies. Overall, our data suggest that APBT isomers may exhibit psychedelic and/or entactogenic effects in humans, with minimal psychomotor stimulation. Whether this unique pharmacological profile of APBT isomers translates into potential therapeutic potential, for instance as candidates for drug-assisted psychotherapy, warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Rudin
- Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Strasse 13A, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - John D McCorvy
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology & Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Grant C Glatfelter
- Designer Drug Research Unit, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Dino Luethi
- Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Strasse 13A, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Dániel Szöllősi
- Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Strasse 13A, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tea Ljubišić
- Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Strasse 13A, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Pierce V Kavanagh
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St. James Hospital, Dublin, 8, Ireland
| | - Geraldine Dowling
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St. James Hospital, Dublin, 8, Ireland
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Science, Sligo Institute of Technology, Ash Lane, Sligo, Ireland
| | - Marion Holy
- Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Strasse 13A, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kathrin Jaentsch
- Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Strasse 13A, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Donna Walther
- Designer Drug Research Unit, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Simon D Brandt
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
- Alexander Shulgin Research Institute, Lafayette, CA, USA
| | - Thomas Stockner
- Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Strasse 13A, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael H Baumann
- Designer Drug Research Unit, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Adam L Halberstadt
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Research Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Harald H Sitte
- Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Strasse 13A, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
- Center for Addiction Research and Science-AddRess, Medical University Vienna, Waehringer Strasse 13A, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
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16
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Domanski K, Fleming SW, Maag H, Bouso Raley E, DeBord J, Wright B, Mahana R. A Psychonaut's Experience of Intoxication with Multiple Classes of Drugs Including Novel Psychoactive Substance 2-fluorodeschloroketamine: Case Report and Urinary Analysis. J Psychoactive Drugs 2021; 54:319-323. [PMID: 34842064 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2021.2006373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Novel psychoactive substances have emerged as drugs of abuse. 2-Fluorodeschloroketamine (2-FDCK) is a ketamine derivative that can be purchased online for as little as $12 per gram. We report the case of a patient with a history of polysubstance use presenting after insufflation of 2-FDCK, with subsequent confirmation of metabolites in the patient's urine. A 28-year-old man presented to the Emergency Department in a dissociated state. He recovered well with supportive care, and described during interview his experience of substance use including the novel psychoactive substance 2-FDCK. A urine sample was sent for analysis and 2-FDCK metabolites were isolated. This case is concerning because 2-FDCK is a relatively new agent that has not yet been reported in the United States. It is easy to obtain over the internet and has significant abuse potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Domanski
- School of Medicine, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV, USA.,Emergency Medicine, MountainView Hospital, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - Steven W Fleming
- North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory, Shreveport, LA, USA.,Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport, Louisiana Addiction Research Center, Shreveport, LA, USA
| | - Hayden Maag
- Emergency Medicine, MountainView Hospital, Hca Healthcare, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | | | - Joshua DeBord
- North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory, Shreveport, LA, USA
| | - Brooks Wright
- Emergency Medicine, MountainView Hospital, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - Roya Mahana
- Emergency Medicine, MountainView Hospital, Las Vegas, NV, USA
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17
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Houle SKD, Evans D, Carter CA, Schlagenhauf P. Ayahuasca and the traveller: A scoping review of risks and possible benefits. Travel Med Infect Dis 2021; 44:102206. [PMID: 34785376 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2021.102206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ayahuasca is a psychotropic drink made from the Amazonian vine Banisteriopsis caapi. Active components include beta-carboline alkaloids and the hallucinogen N-N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). This review aimed to identify and summarize the literature on the safety and effectiveness of ayahuasca among recreational users. METHOD A comprehensive literature search was done on November 1, 2019 in the following six databases: PubMed(MEDLINE), Ovid Embase, Ovid International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, LILACS, Scopus, and Web of Science. Articles were included if they were original research published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese, among human participants using oral ayahuasca for neuropsychiatric effects. Chemical or pharmacological analyses, brain imaging studies, and studies examining the use of ayahuasca within a religious context were excluded. RESULTS 5750 unique titles were identified through the database searches, with an additional 19 titles identified through manual searches. Ultimately, 39 met all the criteria for inclusion. Articles were organized into 4 themes: (1) Case reports and case series; (2) The use of ayahuasca for depression or grief; (3) The use of ayahuasca and other psychiatric or neuropsychological outcomes; and (4) Studies examining ayahuasca use and physiologic outcomes. Ayahuasca use is associated with a risk of both psychiatric and non-psychiatric events including hallucinations, agitation or aggression, vomiting, seizure, and rhabdomyolysis. Five fatalities have been reported in the literature following ayahuasca use. Open-label studies assessing ayahuasca use in depression found favorable results persisting across 21 days. Ayahuasca was also found to influence the MINDSENS scale for mindfulness, with mixed results observed for impact of ayahuasca on cognitive function and creativity, and benefits observed for measures of self-acceptance and overall wellbeing. CONCLUSIONS To date, evidence on benefits for the management of depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders is mixed, with some evidence suggesting improvements in mindfulness measures and creativity that are generally short-lived, and multiple case reports suggesting the potential for harm and interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Derek Evans
- School of Pharmacy, Keck Graduate Institute, United States
| | | | - Patricia Schlagenhauf
- University of Zürich Centre for Travel Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre for Travellers' Health, Epidemiology Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, Zürich, Switzerland
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18
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Waters K. Pharmacologic Similarities and Differences Among Hallucinogens. J Clin Pharmacol 2021; 61 Suppl 2:S100-S113. [PMID: 34396556 DOI: 10.1002/jcph.1917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Hallucinogens constitute a unique class of substances that cause changes in the user's thoughts, perceptions, and mood through various mechanisms of action. Although the serotonergic hallucinogens such as lysergic acid diethylamide, psilocybin, and N,N-dimethyltryptamine have been termed the classical hallucinogens, many hallucinogens elicit their actions through other mechanisms such as N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonism, opioid receptor agonism, or inhibition of the reuptake of monoamines including serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. The aim of this article is to compare the pharmacologic similarities and differences among substances within the hallucinogen class and their impact on physical and psychiatric effects. Potential toxicities, including life-threatening and long-term effects, will be reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Waters
- School of Pharmacy, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
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19
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Topal F, Aksu K, Gulcin I, Tümer F, Goksu S. Inhibition Profiles of Some Symmetric Sulfamides Derived from Phenethylamines on Human Carbonic Anhydrase I, and II Isoenzymes. Chem Biodivers 2021; 18:e2100422. [PMID: 34387019 DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.202100422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
In this work, the inhibitory effect of some symmetric sulfamides derived from phenethylamines were determined against human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) I, and II isoenzymes, and compared with standard compound acetazolamide. IC50 values were obtained from the Enzyme activity (%)-[Symmetric sulfamides] graphs. Also, Ki values were calculated from the Lineweaver-Burk graphs. Some symmetric sulfamides compounds (11-18) demonstrated excellent inhibition effects against hCA I, and II isoenzymes. These compounds demonstrated effective inhibitory profiles with IC50 values in ranging from 21.66-28.88 nM against hCA I, 14.44-30.13 nM against hCA II. Among these compounds, the best Ki value for hCA I (Ki : 8.34±1.60 nM) and hCA II (Ki : 16.40±1.00 nM) is compound number 11. Besides, the IC50 value of acetazolamide used as a standard was determined as hCA I, hCA II 57.75 nM, 49.50 nM, respectively. Moreover, in silico ADME-Tox study showed that all synthesized compounds (11-18) had good oral bioavailability in light of Jorgensen's rule of three, and of Lipinski's rule of five.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fevzi Topal
- Department of Chemical and Chemical Processing Technologies, Gümüşhane Vocational School, Gümüşhane University, Gümüşhane, 29100, Turkey
| | - Kadir Aksu
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Ordu University, Ordu, 52200, Turkey
| | - Ilhami Gulcin
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Atatürk University, Erzurum, 25240, Turkey
| | - Ferhan Tümer
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Sütçü İmam University, Kahramanmaraş, 46100, Turkey
| | - Süleyman Goksu
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Atatürk University, Erzurum, 25240, Turkey
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20
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Prisco L, Sarwal A, Ganau M, Rubulotta F. Toxicology of Psychoactive Substances. Crit Care Clin 2021; 37:517-541. [PMID: 34053704 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccc.2021.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
A trend in the increasing use of prescription psychoactive drugs (PADs), including antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers, has been reported in the United States and globally. In addition, there has been an increase in the production and usage of illicit PADs and emergence of new psychoactive substances (NPSs) all over the world. PADs pose unique challenges for critical care providers who may encounter toxicology issues due to drug interactions, side effects, or drug overdoses. This article provides a summary of the toxicologic features of commonly used and abused PADs: antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, hallucinogens, NPSs, caffeine, nicotine, and cannabis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Prisco
- Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Level 1 West Wing, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK; Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Level 6 West Wing, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.
| | - Aarti Sarwal
- Neurocritical Care Unit, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
| | - Mario Ganau
- Neurosciences Department, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Level 2 West Wing, Headley Way, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
| | - Francesca Rubulotta
- Critical Care Program Department of Anesthesia, McGill University, 845 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, Quebec H3A 0G4, Canada; Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Health Centre, Intensive Care Unit, Imperial College NHS Trust, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF, UK
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21
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Lapostolle F, Beaune S. Ecstasy : la deuxième vague…. ANNALES FRANCAISES DE MEDECINE D URGENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.3166/afmu-2021-0309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
La molécule de MDMA (3,4-méthylènedioxyméthamphétamine ou ecstasy) a plus de 100 ans. Sa consommation a explosé dans les années 1990, essentiellement dans un cadre « festif » ou « récréatif ». Elle a ensuite considérablement diminué au début des années 2000 et connaît actuellement un regain d’intérêt certain. Sa consommation a volontiers été considérée comme anodine avant qu’il n’apparaisse clairement qu’elle pouvait provoquer des décès, en l’absence même de « surdose ». Les mécanismes de toxicité sont multiples, complexes et imparfaitement élucidés. L’interaction avec les principaux neuromédiateurs est certaine. L’ecstasy est classée dans les produits empathogènes. Sa consommation vise à favoriser les relations sociales. De nombreux effets secondaires sont possibles. Les conditions de consommation, en ambiance confinée, avec une activité physique soutenue et prolongée favorisent la survenue des effets secondaires. Les effets secondaires bénins sont tolérés et considérés comme étant le « prix à payer » dans la recherche des effets psychogènes. En raison de son tropisme, les principales complications de la consommation d’ecstasy sont psychiatriques et neurologiques, mais aussi cardiovasculaires, respiratoires et métaboliques. Cependant, les formes graves de l’intoxication sont marquées par un tableau d’hyperthermie maligne responsable de complications multiples et pouvant conduire au décès. Tous les auteurs insistent sur la possibilité de complications, de formes graves, voire de décès après la consommation d’une dose unique de MDMA. Il n’y a pas de traitement spécifique. Le traitement symptomatique est au premier plan. Hydratation et sédation sont les clés de ce traitement.
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22
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Overview of the major classes of new psychoactive substances, psychoactive effects, analytical determination and conformational analysis of selected illegal drugs. OPEN CHEM 2021. [DOI: 10.1515/chem-2021-0196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The misuse of psychoactive substances is attracting a great deal of attention from the general public. An increase use of psychoactive substances is observed among young people who do not have enough awareness of the harmful effects of these substances. Easy access to illicit drugs at low cost and lack of effective means of routine screening for new psychoactive substances (NPS) have contributed to the rapid increase in their use. New research and evidence suggest that drug use can cause a variety of adverse psychological and physiological effects on human health (anxiety, panic, paranoia, psychosis, and seizures). We describe different classes of these NPS drugs with emphasis on the methods used to identify them and the identification of their metabolites in biological specimens. This is the first review that thoroughly gives the literature on both natural and synthetic illegal drugs with old known data and very hot new topics and investigations, which enables the researcher to use it as a starting point in the literature exploration and planning of the own research. For the first time, the conformational analysis was done for selected illegal drugs, giving rise to the search of the biologically active conformations both theoretically and using lab experiments.
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Vitale P, Cicco L, Perna FM, Capriati V. Introducing deep eutectic solvents in enolate chemistry: synthesis of 1-arylpropan-2-ones under aerobic conditions. REACT CHEM ENG 2021. [DOI: 10.1039/d1re00297j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
An environmentally friendly procedure for the generation of enolates from 1-arylpropan-2-ones, followed by functionalization with electrophiles and (hetero)aryl halides in deep eutectic solvents under aerobic conditions, is disclosed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Vitale
- Dipartimento di Farmacia–Scienze del farmaco, Università di Bari “Aldo Moro”, Consorzio C.I.N.M.P.I.S, Via E. Orabona 4, I-70125, Bari, Italy
| | - Luciana Cicco
- Dipartimento di Farmacia–Scienze del farmaco, Università di Bari “Aldo Moro”, Consorzio C.I.N.M.P.I.S, Via E. Orabona 4, I-70125, Bari, Italy
| | - Filippo Maria Perna
- Dipartimento di Farmacia–Scienze del farmaco, Università di Bari “Aldo Moro”, Consorzio C.I.N.M.P.I.S, Via E. Orabona 4, I-70125, Bari, Italy
| | - Vito Capriati
- Dipartimento di Farmacia–Scienze del farmaco, Università di Bari “Aldo Moro”, Consorzio C.I.N.M.P.I.S, Via E. Orabona 4, I-70125, Bari, Italy
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Cocchi V, Gasperini S, Hrelia P, Tirri M, Marti M, Lenzi M. Novel Psychoactive Phenethylamines: Impact on Genetic Material. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21249616. [PMID: 33348640 PMCID: PMC7766159 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21249616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychedelic and stimulating phenethylamines belong to the family of new psychoactive substances (NPS). The acute toxicity framework has begun to be investigated, while studies showing genotoxic potential are very limited or not available. Therefore, in order to fill this gap, the aim of the present work was to evaluate the genotoxicity by treating TK6 cells with 2C-H, 2C-I, 2C-B, 25B-NBOMe, and the popular 3,4-Methylenedioxymethylamphetamine (MDMA). On the basis of cytotoxicity and cytostasis results, we selected the concentrations (6.25–35 µM) to be used in genotoxicity analysis. We used the micronucleus (MN) as indicator of genetic damage and analyzed the MNi frequency fold increase by an automated flow cytometric protocol. All substances, except MDMA, resulted genotoxic; therefore, we evaluated reactive oxygen species (ROS) induction as a possible mechanism at the basis of the demonstrated genotoxicity. The obtained results showed a statistically significant increase in ROS levels for all genotoxic phenethylamines confirming this hypothesis. Our results highlight the importance of genotoxicity evaluation for a complete assessment of the risk associated also with NPS exposure. Indeed, the subjects who do not have hazardous behaviors or require hospitalization by using active but still “safe” doses could run into genotoxicity and in the well-known long-term effects associated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Cocchi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (V.C.); (S.G.); (M.L.)
| | - Sofia Gasperini
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (V.C.); (S.G.); (M.L.)
| | - Patrizia Hrelia
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (V.C.); (S.G.); (M.L.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Micaela Tirri
- Department of Translational Medicine, Section of Legal Medicine and LTTA Center, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (M.T.); (M.M.)
| | - Matteo Marti
- Department of Translational Medicine, Section of Legal Medicine and LTTA Center, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (M.T.); (M.M.)
- Collaborative Center for the Italian National Early Warning System, Department of Anti-Drug Policies, Presidency of the Council of Ministers, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Monia Lenzi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (V.C.); (S.G.); (M.L.)
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Weng TI, Chen LY, Chen JY, Chen PS, Hwa HL, Fang CC. Characteristics of analytically confirmed illicit substance-using patients in the Emergency Department. J Formos Med Assoc 2020; 119:1827-1834. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jfma.2020.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
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Acute DOB and PMA Administration Impairs Motor and Sensorimotor Responses in Mice and Causes Hallucinogenic Effects in Adult Zebrafish. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10090586. [PMID: 32847111 PMCID: PMC7563198 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10090586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2020] [Revised: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The drastic increase in hallucinogenic compounds in illicit drug markets of new psychoactive substances (NPS) is a worldwide threat. Among these, 2, 5-dimetoxy-4-bromo-amphetamine (DOB) and paramethoxyamphetamine (PMA; marketed as “ecstasy”) are frequently purchased on the dark web and consumed for recreational purposes during rave/dance parties. In fact, these two substances seem to induce the same effects as MDMA, which could be due to their structural similarities. According to users, DOB and PMA share the same euphoric effects: increasing of the mental state, increasing sociability and empathy. Users also experienced loss of memory, temporal distortion, and paranoia following the repetition of the same thought. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the acute systemic administration of DOB and PMA (0.01–30 mg/kg; i.p.) on motor, sensorimotor (visual, acoustic, and tactile), and startle/PPI responses in CD-1 male mice. Moreover, the pro-psychedelic effect of DOB (0.075–2 mg/kg) and PMA (0.0005–0.5 mg/kg) was investigated by using zebrafish as a model. DOB and PMA administration affected spontaneous locomotion and impaired behaviors and startle/PPI responses in mice. In addition, the two compounds promoted hallucinatory states in zebrafish by reducing the hallucinatory score and swimming activity in hallucinogen-like states.
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Abstract
U-47700, 3,4-dichloro-N-((1R,2R)-2-(dimethylamino)cyclohexyl)-N-methyl benzamide, is a novel synthetic opioid (NSO), discovered by the Upjohn company in the late 1970s. With potent in vivo activity, ∼10-times greater than that of morphine, U-47700 has become a drug of widespread abuse due to its ease of synthesis and, until recently, lack of robust detection methods by law enforcement. U-47700 has been found in counterfeit oxycodone tablets and is a key ingredient in "gray death." Due to its emergence worldwide in the past 5 years, it is now a Schedule I drug in the United States and similarly designated around the world; moreover, at autopsy, U-47700 was found to have contributed to the death of the pop artist Prince. This Review will capture the >40 year history of U-47700 and go in-depth regarding the synthesis, medicinal chemistry, in vitro/in vivo pharmacology, drug metabolism (from postmortem overdose cases), and societal impact of this DARK Classic in chemical neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwaku Kyei-Baffour
- Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Craig W. Lindsley
- Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
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Mégarbane B, Gamblin C, Roussel O, Bouaziz-Amar E, Chevillard L, Callebert J, Chen H, Morineau G, Laplanche JL, Etheve-Quelquejeu M, Liechti ME, Benturquia N. The neurobehavioral effects of the designer drug naphyrone - an experimental investigation with pharmacokinetics and concentration/effect relationship in mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2020; 237:1943-1957. [PMID: 32399634 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05510-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE The recreational use of naphyrone, a potent synthetic cathinone with a pyrovalerone structure, has raised questions about possible deleterious neurobehavioral consequences. OBJECTIVE To investigate naphyrone-induced neurobehavioral effects and alterations in brain monoamines using two patterns of abuse, i.e., single and repeated (binge) use. METHODS We studied naphyrone dose/induced locomotor activity relationship at 3, 10, 30, and 100 mg/kg in mice. We investigated the effects of single (30 mg/kg; acute injection) versus repeated (30 mg/kg ×3/day for 3 days; binge injection) intraperitoneal naphyrone administration on locomotor activity, anxiety-like behavior, spatial recognition memory, anhedonia, behavioral despair, and social interaction. We measured post-mortem prefrontal cortex levels of monoamines and modeled naphyrone pharmacokinetics and concentration/locomotor effect relationship. RESULTS Both naphyrone administration patterns induced time-dependent increases in locomotor activity (p < 0.001 and p < 0.0001, respectively) and social interaction (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001, respectively) but did not alter spatial recognition memory or anhedonia. Acute naphyrone injection induced anxiety-like behavior (p < 0.01) and reduced resignation (p < 0.01) whereas binge administration induced non-anxiety-like behavior (p < 0.05) and did not alter behavioral despair. Both patterns increased the prefrontal cortex dopamine (p < 0.0001) and norepinephrine (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) but not serotonin content. Naphyrone pharmacokinetics followed a two-compartment model with an overall elimination half-life of 0.3 h. The naphyrone concentration/locomotor effect relationship was described by an additive Emax model with an EC50 of 672 μg/L. CONCLUSIONS Single naphyrone administration increases locomotor activity according to a direct concentration/effect relationship. The neurobehavioral effects after binge differs from those after single administration and are not explained by drug accumulation given the relatively fast elimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Mégarbane
- Inserm, UMR-S 1144, Paris University, Paris, France.,Department of Medical and Toxicological Critical Care, Lariboisière Hospital, Paris, France
| | | | - Olivier Roussel
- Inserm, UMR-S 1144, Paris University, Paris, France.,Toxicology Department, Institut de Recherche Criminelle de la Gendarmerie Nationale, Rosny sous-Bois, France
| | | | | | | | - Huixiong Chen
- CNRS, UMR8601, Laboratory of Chemistry and Pharmacological and Toxicological Biochemistry, CBNIT, Paris-Descartes University, Paris, France
| | | | | | - Mélanie Etheve-Quelquejeu
- CNRS, UMR8601, Laboratory of Chemistry and Pharmacological and Toxicological Biochemistry, CBNIT, Paris-Descartes University, Paris, France
| | - Matthias E Liechti
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nadia Benturquia
- Inserm, UMR-S 1144, Paris University, Paris, France. .,Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, Paris University, 4 avenue de l'Observatoire, 75006, Paris, France.
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Rinaldi R, Bersani G, Marinelli E, Zaami S. The rise of new psychoactive substances and psychiatric implications: A wide-ranging, multifaceted challenge that needs far-reaching common legislative strategies. Hum Psychopharmacol 2020; 35:e2727. [PMID: 32144953 DOI: 10.1002/hup.2727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Revised: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The ever-growing number of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) that have been surfacing globally, as well as related changes in drug abuse trends, undoubtedly constitute a difficult and multifaceted challenge for psychiatry. The intake and abuse of such substances has been linked to a risk of psychopathological disturbances, which stem from imbalances of a range of neurotransmitter pathways and receptors. Through an analysis of relevant research articles and reviews (particularly those outlining NPS neurological and cerebral mechanisms of action and psychopathological consequences arising from NPS abuse; research papers more closely focused on chemical/pharmacological aspects have been ruled out), through a systematic analysis of Pubmed, Medline, PsycLIT and EMBASE literature, as well as data released by health care institutions and drug enforcement agencies (among which the World Health Organization, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Eurojust, the Novel Psychoactive Treatment UK Network, the Court of Justice of the European Union), the authors aimed to elaborate on the most relevant data relative to NPS-related psychiatric effects, focusing on the conceptual and definition-related complexities inherent to NPS, clinical management and motivations for NPS use; moreover, an effort has been made to highlight the possible measures in order to tackle the unremitting rise of such elusive and potentially harmful substances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaella Rinaldi
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Sciences, Departmental Section of Legal Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Bersani
- Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Enrico Marinelli
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Sciences, Departmental Section of Legal Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Zaami
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Sciences, Departmental Section of Legal Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Cláudia M, Pedro A, Tiago R, Francisco CR, Eugenia G. Determination of New Psychoactive Substances in Whole Blood Using Microwave Fast Derivatization and Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry. J Anal Toxicol 2020; 44:92-102. [PMID: 31436798 DOI: 10.1093/jat/bkz053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 04/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The production and consumption of new psychoactive substances (NPSs) has been raising a major concern worldwide. Due to easy access and available information, many NPSs continue to be synthesized with an alarming increase of those available to purchase, despite all the control efforts created. A new analytical method was developed and validated to determine a group of phenethylamines and synthetic cathinones: cathinone, flephedrone, buphedrone, 4-MTA, α-PVP, methylone, 2C-P, ethylone, pentylone, MDPV and bromo-dragonFLY in whole blood. A mixed-mode solid phase extraction was applied to 250 μL of sample, and the extracts were derivatized with fast microwave technique before being analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The validation procedure followed the Scientific Working Group for Forensic Toxicology (SWGTOX) guidelines with parameters that included selectivity, linearity, limits of detection and quantification, intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy, recoveries and stability. The method presented linearity between 5 and 500 ng/mL for cathinone, buphedrone, 4-MTA, methylone, 2C-P and bromo-dragonFLY, 10-500 ng/mL for flephedrone, ethylone, pentylone and MDPV, and 40-500 ng/mL for α-PVP, with determination coefficients above 0.99 for all analytes. Recoveries ranged between 70.3% and 116.6%, and regarding intra- and inter-day precision, the relative mean errors were typically lower than 8.6%. The method was successfully applied to over 100 authentic samples from the Laboratory of Chemistry and Forensic Toxicology, Centre Branch, of the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, Portugal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margalho Cláudia
- Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses - Delegação do Centro, Serviço de Química e Toxicologia Forenses, Largo da Sé Nova, 3000-213, Coimbra Portugal
| | - Almeida Pedro
- Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses - Delegação do Centro, Serviço de Química e Toxicologia Forenses, Largo da Sé Nova, 3000-213, Coimbra Portugal.,Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde da Universidade da Beira Interior (CICS-UBI), Avenida Infante D. Henrique, 6201-506, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Rosado Tiago
- Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde da Universidade da Beira Interior (CICS-UBI), Avenida Infante D. Henrique, 6201-506, Covilhã, Portugal.,Laboratório de Fármaco-Toxicologia-UBIMedical, Universidade da Beira Interior, EM506, 6200-284, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Corte Real Francisco
- Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses - Delegação do Centro, Serviço de Química e Toxicologia Forenses, Largo da Sé Nova, 3000-213, Coimbra Portugal
| | - Gallardo Eugenia
- Centro de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde da Universidade da Beira Interior (CICS-UBI), Avenida Infante D. Henrique, 6201-506, Covilhã, Portugal.,Laboratório de Fármaco-Toxicologia-UBIMedical, Universidade da Beira Interior, EM506, 6200-284, Covilhã, Portugal
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Abstract
Psychoactive substances with chemical structures or pharmacological profiles that are similar to traditional drugs of abuse continue to emerge on the recreational drug market. Internet vendors may at least temporarily sell these so-called designer drugs without adhering to legal statutes or facing legal consequences. Overall, the mechanism of action and adverse effects of designer drugs are similar to traditional drugs of abuse. Stimulants, such as amphetamines and cathinones, primarily interact with monoamine transporters and mostly induce sympathomimetic adverse effects. Agonism at μ-opioid receptors and γ-aminobutyric acid-A (GABAA) or GABAB receptors mediates the pharmacological effects of sedatives, which may induce cardiorespiratory depression. Dissociative designer drugs primarily act as N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists and pose similar health risks as the medically approved dissociative anesthetic ketamine. The cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor is thought to drive the psychoactive effects of synthetic cannabinoids, which are associated with a less desirable effect profile and more severe adverse effects compared with cannabis. Serotonergic 5-hydroxytryptamine-2A (5-HT2A) receptors mediate alterations of perception and cognition that are induced by serotonergic psychedelics. Because of their novelty, designer drugs may remain undetected by routine drug screening, thus hampering evaluations of adverse effects. Intoxication reports suggest that several designer drugs are used concurrently, posing a high risk for severe adverse effects and even death.
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Abiero A, Botanas CJ, Custodio RJ, Sayson LV, Kim M, Lee HJ, Kim HJ, Lee KW, Jeong Y, Seo JW, Ryu IS, Lee YS, Cheong JH. 4-MeO-PCP and 3-MeO-PCMo, new dissociative drugs, produce rewarding and reinforcing effects through activation of mesolimbic dopamine pathway and alteration of accumbal CREB, deltaFosB, and BDNF levels. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2020; 237:757-772. [PMID: 31828394 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-019-05412-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE A high number of synthetic dissociative drugs continue to be available through online stores, leading to their misuse. Recent inclusions in this category are 4-MeO-PCP and 3-MeO-PCMo, analogs of phencyclidine. Although the dissociative effects of these drugs and their recreational use have been reported, no studies have investigated their abuse potential. OBJECTIVES To examine their rewarding and reinforcing effects and explore the mechanistic correlations. METHODS We used conditioned place preference (CPP), self-administration, and locomotor sensitization tests to assess the rewarding and reinforcing effects of the drugs. We explored their mechanism of action by pretreating dopamine receptor (DR) D1 antagonist SCH23390 and DRD2 antagonist haloperidol during CPP test and investigated the effects of 4-MeO-PCP and 3-MeO-PCMo on dopamine-related proteins in the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens. We also measured the levels of dopamine, phosphorylated cyclic-AMP response element-binding (p-CREB) protein, deltaFosB, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the nucleus accumbens. Additionally, we examined the effects of both drugs on brain wave activity using electroencephalography. RESULTS While both 4-MeO-PCP and 3-MeO-PCMo induced CPP and self-administration, only 4-MeO-PCP elicited locomotor sensitization. SCH23390 and haloperidol inhibited the acquisition of drug CPP. 4-MeO-PCP and 3-MeO-PCMo altered the levels of tyrosine hydroxylase, DRD1, DRD2, and dopamine, as well as that of p-CREB, deltaFosB, and BDNF. All drugs increased the delta and gamma wave activity, whereas pretreatment with SCH23390 and haloperidol inhibited it. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that 4-MeO-PCP and 3-MeO-PCMo induce rewarding and reinforcing effects that are probably mediated by the mesolimbic dopamine system, suggesting an abuse liability in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arvie Abiero
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, College of Pharmacy, Sahmyook University, 815 Hwarangro, Nowon-gu, Seoul, 01795, Republic of Korea
| | - Chrislean Jun Botanas
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, College of Pharmacy, Sahmyook University, 815 Hwarangro, Nowon-gu, Seoul, 01795, Republic of Korea
| | - Raly James Custodio
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, College of Pharmacy, Sahmyook University, 815 Hwarangro, Nowon-gu, Seoul, 01795, Republic of Korea
| | - Leandro Val Sayson
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, College of Pharmacy, Sahmyook University, 815 Hwarangro, Nowon-gu, Seoul, 01795, Republic of Korea
| | - Mikyung Kim
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, College of Pharmacy, Sahmyook University, 815 Hwarangro, Nowon-gu, Seoul, 01795, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Jun Lee
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, College of Pharmacy, Sahmyook University, 815 Hwarangro, Nowon-gu, Seoul, 01795, Republic of Korea
| | - Hee Jin Kim
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, College of Pharmacy, Sahmyook University, 815 Hwarangro, Nowon-gu, Seoul, 01795, Republic of Korea
| | - Kun Won Lee
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy & Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Youngdo Jeong
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy & Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Joung-Wook Seo
- Center for Safety Pharmacology, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon, 305-343, Republic of Korea
| | - In Soo Ryu
- Center for Safety Pharmacology, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon, 305-343, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong Sup Lee
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy & Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, 26 Kyungheedae-ro, Seoul, 02447, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jae Hoon Cheong
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, College of Pharmacy, Sahmyook University, 815 Hwarangro, Nowon-gu, Seoul, 01795, Republic of Korea. .,School of Pharmacy, Chonbuk National University, 567 Baekje-daero, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, 54896, Republic of Korea.
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Al-Banaa I, Hawkins L, Hill SL, Lupton DJ, Jackson G, Sandilands EA, Bradberry SM, Thompson JP, Rushton S, Thomas SHL. Effect of the UK Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 on episodes of toxicity related to new psychoactive substances as reported to the National Poisons Information Service. A time series analysis. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2020; 77:102672. [PMID: 32032867 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Revised: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There have been recent increases in use of new psychoactive substances (NPS) associated with acute health harms including hospital presentations due to toxicity and increasing numbers of deaths. In response, the UK Government enacted generic legislation on 26th May 2016 (the Psychoactive Substances Act) making it an offence to produce, possess with intent to supply, supply, import or export, or possess within a custodial setting a psychoactive substance. We studied the impact of this Act on monthly frequency of enquiries made by health professionals to the UK National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) about NPS. We also studied five commonly used 'conventional' drugs of misuse that had been controlled prior to January 2009. METHOD Anonymised clinical enquiries to the NPIS and accesses to the poisons information database TOXBASE were reviewed retrospectively from January 2009 to December 2018 to ascertain the trends in reported toxicity for NPS, cocaine, heroin, cannabis, amphetamines and MDMA. Data were analysed using interrupted time series analysis with the date of the PSA used as an independent predictor. RESULTS Over the period of study there were 3,866 NPIS telephone enquiries and 79,271 TOXBASE user accesses made by UK health professionals concerning NPS. There were increases in monthly TOXBASE accesses (t = 7.408, P < 0.0001) and telephone enquiries (t = 4.74, P < 0.001) over the pre-specified period January 2009 to May 2016. Comparing the period after the PSA with that before, there were significant reductions in TOXBASE accesses (t = -3.327, P < 0.001) and telephone enquiries (t = -6.97, P < 0.001), although reductions started before May 2016. There were no significant changes for the five conventional drugs. There were significant reductions in telephone enquiries (t = -3.418, P < 0.001) and non-significant reductions in TOXBASE accesses (t = -1.713, P = 0.089) for NPS between June 2016 and December 2018. Increases in telephone enquiries for cocaine and reductions TOXBASE accesses for MDMA were also observed over that period. CONCLUSIONS There have been significant recent reductions in NPIS enquiry activity relating to NPS; although these began before enactment of the PSA in May 2016.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Al-Banaa
- Health Protection Research Unit for Chemical and Radiation Threats and Hazards, Newcastle University, Newcastle NE2 4HH, United Kingdom; College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Mosul, Iraq.
| | - L Hawkins
- National Poisons Information Service (Newcastle Unit), Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Wolfson Unit, Claremont Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
| | - S L Hill
- National Poisons Information Service (Newcastle Unit), Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Wolfson Unit, Claremont Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
| | - D J Lupton
- National Poisons Information Service (Edinburgh Unit), Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, 51 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4SA, United Kingdom
| | - G Jackson
- National Poisons Information Service (Edinburgh Unit), Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, 51 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4SA, United Kingdom
| | - E A Sandilands
- National Poisons Information Service (Edinburgh Unit), Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, 51 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4SA, United Kingdom
| | - S M Bradberry
- National Poisons Information Service (Birmingham Unit), City Hospital, Dudley Road, Birmingham B18 7QH, United Kingdom
| | - J P Thompson
- National Poisons Information Service, Cardiff Unit, University Hospital Llandough, Penlan Road, Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan CF64 2XX, United Kingdom
| | - S Rushton
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
| | - S H L Thomas
- Health Protection Research Unit for Chemical and Radiation Threats and Hazards, Newcastle University, Newcastle NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
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Fuentes JJ, Fonseca F, Elices M, Farré M, Torrens M. Therapeutic Use of LSD in Psychiatry: A Systematic Review of Randomized-Controlled Clinical Trials. Front Psychiatry 2020; 10:943. [PMID: 32038315 PMCID: PMC6985449 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) was studied from the 1950s to the 1970s to evaluate behavioral and personality changes, as well as remission of psychiatric symptoms in various disorders. LSD was used in the treatment of anxiety, depression, psychosomatic diseases and addiction. However, most of the studies were not performed under contemporary standards, and it has taken several decades for a resurgence of interest in LSD research and its therapeutic potential for psychiatry. The aim of this review is to identify controlled and randomized clinical trials that assess the potential use of LSD in psychiatry. PRISMA guidelines for systematic review were followed. A literature search of PubMed and Psychedelic bibliography from Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) databases was performed as well as a manual search of references from evaluated studies. Only randomized-controlled clinical trials were included. Study quality was systematically calculated by using the Cochrane Collaboration Tool for assessing risk of bias. A final selection of 11 articles was made after considering inclusion and exclusion criteria. LSD was administered to 567 patients in a dose ranging from 20 to 800 mcg. Despite the design heterogeneity of clinical trials, positive results were observed, thus revealing the therapeutic potential of LSD to reduce psychiatric symptomatology, mainly in alcoholism. The vast majority of authors describe significant and positive short-term changes in patients, despite the fact that in some studies an important homogenization was observed between the LSD treatment group and control group at long-term follow-up. Multiple variables regarding LSD treatment therapeutic approach and quality of experience were revealed and related to therapeutic outcomes. LSD is revealed as a potential therapeutic agent in psychiatry; the evidence to date is strongest for the use of LSD in the treatment of alcoholism. Despite the difficulty of designing proper double blind clinical trials with this substance, new studies that conform to modern standards are necessary in order to strengthen our knowledge on its use and open new doors in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan José Fuentes
- Institut de Neuropsiquiatria i Addiccions, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Francina Fonseca
- Institut de Neuropsiquiatria i Addiccions, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
- Addiction Research Group (GRAd), Neuroscience Research Program, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain
- Psychiatry Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Matilde Elices
- Institut de Neuropsiquiatria i Addiccions, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM, Madrid, Spain
| | - Magí Farré
- Clinical Pharmacology Department, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Badalona, Spain
- Pharmacology Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Marta Torrens
- Institut de Neuropsiquiatria i Addiccions, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
- Addiction Research Group (GRAd), Neuroscience Research Program, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain
- Psychiatry Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
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Costa G, De Luca MA, Piras G, Marongiu J, Fattore L, Simola N. Neuronal and peripheral damages induced by synthetic psychoactive substances: an update of recent findings from human and animal studies. Neural Regen Res 2020; 15:802-816. [PMID: 31719240 PMCID: PMC6990793 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.268895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Preclinical and clinical studies indicate that synthetic psychoactive substances, in addition to having abuse potential, may elicit toxic effects of varying severity at the peripheral and central levels. Nowadays, toxicity induced by synthetic psychoactive substances poses a serious harm for health, since recreational use of these substances is on the rise among young and adult people. The present review summarizes recent findings on the peripheral and central toxicity elicited by “old” and “new” synthetic psychoactive substances in humans and experimental animals, focusing on amphetamine derivatives, hallucinogen and dissociative drugs and synthetic cannabinoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Costa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Maria Antonietta De Luca
- Department of Biomedical Sciences; National Institute of Neuroscience (INN), University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Gessica Piras
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Jacopo Marongiu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Liana Fattore
- National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Neuroscience, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Nicola Simola
- Department of Biomedical Sciences; National Institute of Neuroscience (INN), University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
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Duflou J. Psychostimulant use disorder and the heart. Addiction 2020; 115:175-183. [PMID: 31321853 DOI: 10.1111/add.14713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2019] [Revised: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Psychostimulants are a diverse range of substances that encompass cocaine and the phenylethylamines, the latter including the amphetamines, cathinones and some 'novel psychoactive substances'. This paper examines the range of pathophysiological processes, clinical presentations and treatment options involving the heart and cardiovascular system both in the acute setting and where long-term effects of psychostimulant use have affected the cardiovascular system. A common feature of these drugs is their effect on the cardiovascular system, where their major action is that of sympathomimetic amines with short- and long-term stimulation of the adrenergic system and consequent effects on blood pressure, cardiac modelling, atherogenesis and cellular calcium signalling. Cocaine additionally exhibits a variety of prothrombotic effects, effects on inflammatory mediators and alterations in myocardial gene expression. Persistent psychostimulant use results in progressive cardiovascular pathology, largely in the form of accelerated atherosclerosis, hypertension and myocardial ischaemia. Abstinence results in at least partial reversal of pathology. To a large extent, an assumption is made that treatment protocols used for cocaine-associated cardiovascular pathology apply to the amphetamines and other phenylethylamines, but there appears to be little research in this area, despite acknowledgement that cocaine and the better-known amphetamines have different modes of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan Duflou
- National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia.,Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
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37
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Grafinger KE, Liechti ME, Liakoni E. Clinical value of analytical testing in patients presenting with new psychoactive substances intoxication. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2019; 86:429-436. [PMID: 31483059 DOI: 10.1111/bcp.14115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
New psychoactive substances (NPS) have emerged worldwide in recent years, posing a threat to public health and a challenge to drug policy. NPS are usually derivatives or analogues of classical recreational drugs designed to imitate their effects while circumventing regulations. This article provides an overview of benefits and limitations of analytical screening in managing patients presenting with acute NPS toxicity. NPS typically cannot be analytically identified with the usual immunoassay tests. To detect NPS using an immunoassay, antibodies specifically binding to the new structures would have to be developed, which is complicated by the rapid change of the NPS market. Activity-based assays could circumvent this problem since no prior knowledge on the substance structure is necessary. However, classical recreational drugs activating the same receptors could lead to false positive results. Liquid or gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry is a valuable NPS analysis tool, but its costs (e.g. equipment), run time (results usually within hours vs minutes in case of immunoasssays) and the need for specialized personnel hinder its use in clinical setting, while factors such as lack of reference standards can pose further limitations. Although supportive measures are sufficient in most cases for adequate patient management, the detection and identification of NPS can contribute significantly to public health and safety in cases of e.g. cluster intoxications and outbreaks, and to the investigation of these novel compounds' properties. However, this requires not only availability of the necessary equipment and personnel, but also collaboration between clinicians, authorities and laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Elisabeth Grafinger
- Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Institute of Pharmacology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Matthias E Liechti
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Evangelia Liakoni
- Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Institute of Pharmacology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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38
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Application of hair analysis to document illegal 5-methoxy-N,N-dissopropyltrptamine (5-MeO-DiPT) use. Forensic Sci Int 2019; 304:109972. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.109972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2019] [Revised: 09/21/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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Scotton WJ, Hill LJ, Williams AC, Barnes NM. Serotonin Syndrome: Pathophysiology, Clinical Features, Management, and Potential Future Directions. Int J Tryptophan Res 2019; 12:1178646919873925. [PMID: 31523132 PMCID: PMC6734608 DOI: 10.1177/1178646919873925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Serotonin syndrome (SS) (also referred to as serotonin toxicity) is a potentially life-threatening drug-induced toxidrome associated with increased serotonergic activity in both the peripheral (PNS) and central nervous systems (CNS). It is characterised by a dose-relevant spectrum of clinical findings related to the level of free serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]), or 5-HT receptor activation (predominantly the 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A subtypes), which include neuromuscular abnormalities, autonomic hyperactivity, and mental state changes. Severe SS is only usually precipitated by the simultaneous initiation of 2 or more serotonergic drugs, but the syndrome can also occur after the initiation of a single serotonergic drug in a susceptible individual, the addition of a second or third agent to long-standing doses of a maintenance serotonergic drug, or after an overdose. The combination of a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), in particular MAO-A inhibitors that preferentially inhibit the metabolism of 5-HT, with serotonergic drugs is especially dangerous, and may lead to the most severe form of the syndrome, and occasionally death. This review describes our current understanding of the pathophysiology, clinical presentation and management of SS, and summarises some of the drugs and interactions that may precipitate the condition. We also discuss the newer novel psychoactive substances (NPSs), a growing public health concern due to their increased availability and use, and their potential risk to evoke the syndrome. Finally, we discuss whether the inhibition of tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), in particular the neuronal isoform (TPH2), may provide an opportunity to pharmacologically target central 5-HT synthesis, and so develop new treatments for severe, life-threatening SS.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J Scotton
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
| | - Lisa J Hill
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Adrian C Williams
- Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
| | - Nicholas M Barnes
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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40
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Peck Y, Clough AR, Culshaw PN, Liddell MJ. Multi-drug cocktails: Impurities in commonly used illicit drugs seized by police in Queensland, Australia. Drug Alcohol Depend 2019; 201:49-57. [PMID: 31181437 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Revised: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Impurities in commonly used illicit drugs raise concerns for unwitting consumers when pharmacologically active adulterants, especially new psychoactive substances (NPS), are used. This study examines impurities detected in illicit drugs seized in one Australian jurisdiction. METHODS Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services provided analytical data. Data described the chemical composition of 9346 samples of 11 illicit drugs seized by police during 2015-2016. Impurities present in primary drugs were summarized and tabulated. A systematic search for published evidence reporting similar analyses was conducted. RESULTS Methamphetamine was the primary drug in 6608 samples, followed by MDMA (1232 samples) and cocaine (516 samples). Purity of primary drugs ranged from ∼30% for cocaine, 2-CB and GHB to >90% for THC, methamphetamine, heroin and MDMA. Methamphetamine and MDMA contained the largest variety of impurities: 22 and 18 variants, respectively. Drug adulteration patterns were broadly similar to those found elsewhere, including NPS, but in some primary drugs impurities were found which had not been reported elsewhere. Psychostimulants were adulterated with each other. Levamisole was a common impurity in cocaine. Psychedelics were adulterated with methamphetamine and NPS. Opioids were quite pure, but some samples contained methamphetamine and synthetic opioids. CONCLUSIONS Impurities detected were mostly pharmacologically active adulterants probably added to enhance desired effects or for active bulking. Given the designer nature of these drug cocktails, the effects of the adulterated drugs on users from possible complex multi-drug interactions is unpredictable. Awareness-raising among users, research into complex multi-drug effects and ongoing monitoring is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshimi Peck
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, 14-88 McGregor Road, Smithfield, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Alan R Clough
- College of Public Health, Medical and Vet Sciences, James Cook University, 14-88 McGregor Road, Smithfield, Queensland, Australia
| | - Peter N Culshaw
- Forensic Chemistry, Forensic and Scientific Services, Queensland Health, 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, 4108, Queensland, Australia
| | - Michael J Liddell
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, 14-88 McGregor Road, Smithfield, Queensland, Australia
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41
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Abiero A, Ryu IS, Botanas CJ, Custodio RJP, Sayson LV, Kim M, Lee HJ, Kim HJ, Seo JW, Cho MC, Lee KW, Yoo SY, Jang CG, Lee YS, Cheong JH. Four Novel Synthetic Tryptamine Analogs Induce Head-Twitch Responses and Increase 5-HTR2a in the Prefrontal Cortex in Mice. Biomol Ther (Seoul) 2019; 28:83-91. [PMID: 31230432 PMCID: PMC6939696 DOI: 10.4062/biomolther.2019.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Tryptamines are monoamine alkaloids with hallucinogenic properties and are widely abused worldwide. To hasten the regulations of novel substances and predict their abuse potential, we designed and synthesized four novel synthetic tryptamine analogs: Pyrrolidino tryptamine hydrochloride (PYT HCl), Piperidino tryptamine hydrochloride (PIT HCl), N,N-dibutyl tryptamine hydrochloride (DBT HCl), and 2-Methyl tryptamine hydrochloride (2-MT HCl). Then, we evaluated their rewarding and reinforcing effects using the conditioned place preference (CPP) and self-administration (SA) paradigms. We conducted an open field test (OFT) to determine the effects of the novel compounds on locomotor activity. A head-twitch response (HTR) was also performed to characterize their hallucinogenic properties. Lastly, we examined the effects of the compounds on 5-HTR1a and 5-HTR2a in the prefrontal cortex using a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay. None of the compounds induced CPP in mice or initiated SA in rats. PYT HCl and PIT HCl reduced the locomotor activity and elevated the 5-HTR1a mRNA levels in mice. Acute and repeated treatment with the novel tryptamines elicited HTR in mice. Furthermore, a drug challenge involving a 7-day abstinence from drug use produced higher HTR than acute and repeated treatments. Both the acute treatment and drug challenge increased the 5-HTR2a mRNA levels. Ketanserin blocked the induced HTR. Taken together, the findings suggest that PYT HCl, PIT HCl, DBT HCl, and 2-MT HCl produce hallucinogenic effects via 5-HTR2a stimulation, but may have low abuse potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arvie Abiero
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacy, Sahmyook University, Seoul 01795, Republic of Korea
| | - In Soo Ryu
- Center for Safety Pharmacology, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon 34114, Republic of Korea
| | - Chrislean Jun Botanas
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacy, Sahmyook University, Seoul 01795, Republic of Korea
| | - Raly James Perez Custodio
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacy, Sahmyook University, Seoul 01795, Republic of Korea
| | - Leandro Val Sayson
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacy, Sahmyook University, Seoul 01795, Republic of Korea
| | - Mikyung Kim
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacy, Sahmyook University, Seoul 01795, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Jun Lee
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacy, Sahmyook University, Seoul 01795, Republic of Korea
| | - Hee Jin Kim
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacy, Sahmyook University, Seoul 01795, Republic of Korea
| | - Joung-Wook Seo
- Center for Safety Pharmacology, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon 34114, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Chang Cho
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy & Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Kun Won Lee
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy & Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung Yeun Yoo
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy & Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Choon-Gon Jang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong Sup Lee
- Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Pharmacy & Department of Life and Nanopharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Hoon Cheong
- Uimyung Research Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Pharmacy, Sahmyook University, Seoul 01795, Republic of Korea
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Shin Y, Kong TY, Cheong JC, Kim JY, Lee JI, Lee HS. Simultaneous determination of 75 abuse drugs including amphetamines, benzodiazepines, cocaine, opioids, piperazines, zolpidem and metabolites in human hair samples using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Biomed Chromatogr 2019; 33:e4600. [PMID: 31116452 DOI: 10.1002/bmc.4600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method for the simultaneous determination of 75 abuse drugs and metabolites, including 19 benzodiazepines, 19 amphetamines, two opiates, eight opioids, cocaine, lysergic acid diethylamide, zolpidem, three piperazines and 21 metabolites in human hair samples, was developed and validated. Ten-milligram hair samples were decontaminated, pulverized using a ball mill, extracted with 1 mL of methanol spiked with 28 deuterated internal standards in an ultrasonic bath for 60 min at 50°C, and purified with Q-sep dispersive solid-phase extraction tubes. The purified extracts were evaporated to dryness and the residue was dissolved in 0.1 mL of 10% methanol. The 75 analytes were analyzed on an Acquity HSS T3 column using gradient elution of methanol and 0.1% formic acid and quantified in multiple reaction monitoring mode with positive electrospray ionization. Calibration curves were linear (r ≥ 0.9951) from the lower limit of quantitation (2-200 pg/mg depending on the drug) to 2000 pg/mg. The coefficients of variation and accuracy for intra- and inter-assay analysis at three QC levels were 4.3-12.9% and 89.2-109.1%, respectively. The overall mean recovery ranged from 87.1 to 105.3%. This method was successfully applied to the analysis of 11 forensic hair samples obtained from drug abusers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongho Shin
- BK21 PLUS Team for Creative Leader Program for Pharmacomics-based Future Pharmacy and Drug Metabolism and Bioanalysis Laboratory, College of Pharmacy, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae Yeon Kong
- BK21 PLUS Team for Creative Leader Program for Pharmacomics-based Future Pharmacy and Drug Metabolism and Bioanalysis Laboratory, College of Pharmacy, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Cheol Cheong
- Forensic Genetics and Chemistry Division, Supreme Prosecutor's Office, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Young Kim
- Forensic Genetics and Chemistry Division, Supreme Prosecutor's Office, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae Il Lee
- Forensic Genetics and Chemistry Division, Supreme Prosecutor's Office, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye Suk Lee
- BK21 PLUS Team for Creative Leader Program for Pharmacomics-based Future Pharmacy and Drug Metabolism and Bioanalysis Laboratory, College of Pharmacy, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon, Republic of Korea
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Herian M, Wojtas A, Kamińska K, Świt P, Wach A, Gołembiowska K. Hallucinogen-Like Action of the Novel Designer Drug 25I-NBOMe and Its Effect on Cortical Neurotransmitters in Rats. Neurotox Res 2019; 36:91-100. [PMID: 30989482 PMCID: PMC6570696 DOI: 10.1007/s12640-019-00033-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
NBOMes are N-benzylmethoxy derivatives of the 2C family hallucinogens. 4-Iodo-2,5-dimethoxy-N-(2-methoxybenzyl)phenethylamine (25I-NBOMe) is one of the commonly used illicit drugs. It exhibits high binding affinity for 5-HT2A/C and 5-HT1A serotonin receptors. Activation of 5-HT2A receptor induces head-twitch response (HTR) in rodents, a behavioral marker of hallucinogen effect in humans. There is not much data on neurochemical properties of NBOMes. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effect of 25I-NBOMe on extracellular level of dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT), and glutamate (GLU) in the rat frontal cortex, tissue contents of monoamines, and hallucinogenic activity in rats. The extracellular levels of DA, 5-HT, and GLU were studied using microdialysis in freely moving animals. The tissue contents of DA, 5-HT and their metabolites 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA), and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) were determined in the rat frontal cortex. We also tested a drug-elicited HTR. 25I-NBOMe at doses 1, 3, and 10 mg/kg (sc) increased extracellular DA, 5-HT, and GLU levels, enhanced tissue content of 5-HT and 5-HIAA, but did not affect tissue level of DA and its metabolites. The compound exhibited an inverted U-shaped dose-response curve with respect to the effect on extracellular DA and 5-HT levels, but a U-shaped dose-response curve was observed for its effect on GLU release and HTR. The data from our study suggest that hallucinogenic activity of 25I-NBOMe seems to be related with the increase in extracellular GLU level-mediated via cortical 5-HT2A receptors. The influence of 25I-NBOMe on 5-HT2C and 5-HT1A receptors may modulate its effect on neurotransmitters and HTR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Herian
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 12 Smętna, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - Adam Wojtas
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 12 Smętna, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Kamińska
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 12 Smętna, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - Paweł Świt
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 12 Smętna, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - Anna Wach
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 12 Smętna, 31-343, Kraków, Poland
| | - Krystyna Gołembiowska
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 12 Smętna, 31-343, Kraków, Poland.
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44
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Stimulant drugs are associated with violent and penetrating trauma. Am J Emerg Med 2019; 37:645-650. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2018.06.071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Revised: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 06/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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45
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Jiang H, Xu H. RETRACTED: Long-term systemic treatment with lysergic acid diethylamide causes retinal damage in CD1 mice. Hum Exp Toxicol 2019; 38:347-355. [PMID: 30472895 DOI: 10.1177/0960327118814162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- H Jiang
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, People's Republic of China
| | - H Xu
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, People's Republic of China
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46
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Abiero A, Botanas CJ, Sayson LV, Custodio RJ, de la Peña JB, Kim M, Lee HJ, Seo JW, Ryu IS, Chang CM, Yang JS, Lee YS, Jang CG, Kim HJ, Cheong JH. 5-Methoxy-α-methyltryptamine (5-MeO-AMT), a tryptamine derivative, induces head-twitch responses in mice through the activation of serotonin receptor 2a in the prefrontal cortex. Behav Brain Res 2019; 359:828-835. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Revised: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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47
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Firman JW, Belfield SJ, Chen G, Jackson M, Lam FH, Richmond C, Smith J, Steinmetz FP, Cronin MTD. Chemoinformatic Consideration of Novel Psychoactive Substances: Compilation and Preliminary Analysis of a Categorised Dataset. Mol Inform 2019; 38:e1800142. [DOI: 10.1002/minf.201800142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James W. Firman
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular SciencesLiverpool John Moores University Byrom Street Liverpool L3 3AF UK
| | - Samuel J. Belfield
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular SciencesLiverpool John Moores University Byrom Street Liverpool L3 3AF UK
| | - George Chen
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular SciencesLiverpool John Moores University Byrom Street Liverpool L3 3AF UK
| | - Megan Jackson
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular SciencesLiverpool John Moores University Byrom Street Liverpool L3 3AF UK
| | - Fai Hou Lam
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular SciencesLiverpool John Moores University Byrom Street Liverpool L3 3AF UK
| | - Callum Richmond
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular SciencesLiverpool John Moores University Byrom Street Liverpool L3 3AF UK
| | - James Smith
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular SciencesLiverpool John Moores University Byrom Street Liverpool L3 3AF UK
| | | | - Mark T. D. Cronin
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular SciencesLiverpool John Moores University Byrom Street Liverpool L3 3AF UK
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48
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Grafinger KE, Wilke A, König S, Weinmann W. Investigating the ability of the microbial model Cunninghamella elegans for the metabolism of synthetic tryptamines. Drug Test Anal 2018; 11:721-729. [PMID: 30462883 DOI: 10.1002/dta.2544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Revised: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Tryptamines can occur naturally in plants, mushrooms, microbes, and amphibians. Synthetic tryptamines are sold as new psychoactive substances (NPS) because of their hallucinogenic effects. When it comes to NPS, metabolism studies are of crucial importance, due to the lack of pharmacological and toxicological data. Different approaches can be taken to study in vitro and in vivo metabolism of xenobiotica. The zygomycete fungus Cunninghamella elegans (C. elegans) can be used as a microbial model for the study of drug metabolism. The current study investigated the biotransformation of four naturally occurring and synthetic tryptamines [N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), 4-hydroxy-N-methyl-N-ethyltryptamine (4-HO-MET), N,N-di allyl-5-methoxy tryptamine (5-MeO-DALT) and 5-methoxy-N-methyl-N-isoporpoyltryptamine (5-MeO-MiPT)] in C. elegans after incubation for 72 hours. Metabolites were identified using liquid chromatography-high resolution-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HR-MS/MS) with a quadrupole time-of-flight (QqTOF) instrument. Results were compared to already published data on these substances. C. elegans was capable of producing all major biotransformation steps: hydroxylation, N-oxide formation, carboxylation, deamination, and demethylation. On average 63% of phase I metabolites found in the literature could also be detected in C. elegans. Additionally, metabolites specific for C. elegans were identified. Therefore, C. elegans is a suitable complementary model to other in vitro or in vivo methods to study the metabolism of naturally occurring or synthetic tryptamines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Elisabeth Grafinger
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Forensic Toxicology and Chemistry, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 20, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.,Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 1, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Wilke
- Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Offenburg, Badstrasse 24, 77652, Offenburg, Germany
| | - Stefan König
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Forensic Toxicology and Chemistry, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 20, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Wolfgang Weinmann
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Forensic Toxicology and Chemistry, University of Bern, Bühlstrasse 20, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
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Kim M, Yang CH, Lee YS, Jang CG, Oh S, Lee S. Effects of aromatic ring-substituted phenethylamines on the release of dopamine and serotonin. Forensic Toxicol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s11419-018-0440-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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50
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Noble C, Holm NB, Mardal M, Linnet K. Bromo-dragonfly, a psychoactive benzodifuran, is resistant to hepatic metabolism and potently inhibits monoamine oxidase A. Toxicol Lett 2018; 295:397-407. [PMID: 30036687 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2018.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Revised: 07/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Bromo-dragonfly is a benzodifuran derivative known as one of the most potent 5-HT2A-receptor agonists within this chemical class, with long-lasting effects of up to 2-3 days. In addition to hallucinogenic effects, the drug is a potent vasoconstrictor, resulting in severe adverse effects, such as necrosis of the limbs. In some cases, intoxication has had fatal outcomes. Little is known about the metabolism of bromo-dragonfly. The aims of this study were to investigate the pharmacokinetics of bromo-dragonfly, determine the plasma protein binding, examine the human hepatic metabolism in vitro, and compare with those of its close analogue, 2C-B-fly. Additionally, we assayed the inhibition potency of both compounds on the monoamine oxidase (MAO) A- and B-mediated oxidative deamination of serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine, respectively. Liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry was used for metabolism studies in pooled human liver microsomes (HLM), pooled human liver cytosol (HLC) and recombinant enzymes. Inhibition studies of the deamination of 5-HT and dopamine were carried out using LC-MS/MS. Bromo-dragonfly was not metabolised in the tested in vitro systems. On the other hand, 2C-B-fly was metabolised in HLM by CYP2D6 and in HLC to some extent, with the main biotransformations being monohydroxylation and N-acetylation. Furthermore, MAO-A metabolised 2C-B-fly, producing the aldehyde metabolite, which was trapped in vitro with methoxyamine. Inhibition experiments revealed that bromo-dragonfly is a competitive inhibitor of MAO-A with a Ki of 0.352 μM. The IC50 value for bromo-dragonfly indicated that the inhibition of MAO-A may be clinically relevant. However, more data are needed to estimate its impact on the increase of 5-HT in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Noble
- Section of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Niels Bjerre Holm
- Section of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Marie Mardal
- Section of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kristian Linnet
- Section of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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