Toxicology Reports
June 1, 2025
Eva Gil-Martins, Daniel José Barbosa, Fernanda Borges et al.
2 citations
Drug use represents a prevalent and multifaceted societal problem, with profound implications for public health, social welfare, and economic stability. To circumvent strict international drug control regulations, there is a growing trend in the development and market introduction of novel psychoactive substances (NPS), encompassing a wide range of compounds with psychoactive properties. This...
Chemico-Biological Interactions
April 25, 2025
Eva Gil-Martins, Fernando Cagide, Ana Borer et al.
4 citations
New psychoactive substances (NPS) are designed to evade legal regulation while mimicking the effects of classic illicit drugs such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). This category includes phenethylamine derivatives, such as the psychedelic 2C and NBOMe drugs. Given the lack of data regarding the toxicological profile of these substances, the goal of this study was to evaluate the...
Int J Mol Sci
March 26, 2025
Eva Gil-Martins, Daniel José Barbosa, Fernando Cagide et al.
Sublethal Concentrations of 2C-I and 25I-NBOMe Designer Drugs Impact Caenorhabditis elegans Development and Reproductive Behavior.
Journal of Xenobiotics
June 5, 2024
Eva Gil-Martins, Fernando Cagide-Fagín, Daniel Martins et al.
2 citations
Substituted phenethylamines including 2C (2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamines) and NBOMe (N-(2-methoxybenzyl)phenethylamines) drugs are potent psychoactive substances with little to no knowledge available on their toxicity. In the present in vitro study, we explored the mechanisms underlying the neurotoxicity of six substituted phenethylamines: 2C-T-2, 2C-T-4, 2C-T-7 and their corresponding NBOMes....
Pharmaceuticals
August 15, 2023
Daniel Martins, Eva Gil-Martins, Fernando Cagide et al.
13 citations
Mescaline derivative (2C phenethylamines) drugs have been modified by the introduction of a N-2-methoxybenzyl group to originate a new series of compounds with recognized and potent psychedelic effects, the NBOMe-drugs. Although they are prevalent in unregulated drug markets, their toxicity profile is still poorly understood, despite several reports highlighting cases of acute intoxication,...
Toxicology
April 11, 2010
Helena Pontes, Paula Guedes De Pinho, Eduarda Fernandes et al.
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ecstasy), a drug of abuse commonly consumed at rave parties, is often taken in a polydrug abuse scenario, ethanol being one of the most associated drugs. Both MDMA and ethanol are mainly metabolized in the liver with formation of toxic metabolites. Our working hypothesis is that ethanol can modify the metabolism of MDMA through the cytochrome P450...
Molecular Neurobiology
June 1, 2009
João Paulo Capela, Helena Carmo, Fernando Remião et al.
“Ecstasy” [(±)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, MDMA, XTC, X, E] is a psychoactive recreational hallucinogenic substance and a major worldwide drug of abuse. Several reports raised the concern that MDMA has the ability to induce neurotoxic effects both in laboratory animals and humans. Despite more than two decades of research, the mechanisms by which MDMA is neurotoxic are still to be fully...
Neurotoxicology
July 2007
João Paulo Capela, Eduarda Fernandes, Fernando Remião et al.
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "Ecstasy") is a psychoactive and hallucinogenic drug of abuse. MDMA has been shown to produce neurotoxicity both in animals and humans. MDMA and other amphetamines induce serotonergic and dopaminergic terminal neurotoxicity and also neurodegeneration in areas including the cortex, hippocampus, striatum and thalamus. Herein, we investigated the...
Neuroscience
June 8, 2007
J P Capela, C Macedo, P S Branco et al.
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "ecstasy"), is a widely abused, psychoactive recreational drug that is known to induce neurotoxic effects. Human and rat hepatic metabolism of MDMA involves N-demethylation to 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), which is also a drug of abuse. MDMA and MDA are O-demethylenated to N-methyl-alpha-methyldopamine (N-Me-alpha-MeDA) and alpha-methyldopamine...
The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics
January 2006
João Paulo Capela, Andreas Meisel, Artur Reis Abreu et al.
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or "Ecstasy") is a widely abused, psychoactive recreational drug. There is growing evidence that the MDMA neurotoxic profile may be highly dependent on both its hepatic metabolism and body temperature. Metabolism of MDMA involves N-demethylation to 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), which is also a drug of abuse. MDMA and MDA are O-demethylenated to...
Toxicology
January 5, 2005
Helena Carmo, Jan G Hengstler, Douwe De Boer et al.
85 citations
4-Bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-B) is a psychoactive designer drug of abuse that is sold under the street names "Venus", "Bromo", "Erox", "XTC" or "Nexus". Concern has been raised because only little is known about its toxicity and metabolism in humans. In the present study we incubated 2C-B with human, monkey, dog, rabbit, rat and mouse hepatocytes to identify the metabolites formed...
Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
November 25, 2004
Helena Carmo, Douwe De Boer, Fernando Remião et al.
32 citations
4-Bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-B) is a psychoactive drug of abuse often sold under the general street name "Ecstasy". Recent reports on the abuse of 2C-B and analogues denote the lack of knowledge on this drug metabolism. In the present study, we investigated the metabolic profile of 2C-B in the mouse and found unchanged 2C-B and several metabolites, which could be identified by GC/MS...
Chemical Research in Toxicology
April 27, 2004
Márcia Carvalho, Fernando Remião, Nuno Milhazes et al.
77 citations
Cardiovascular complications associated with 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) abuse have increasingly been reported. The indirect effect of MDMA mediated by a sustained high level of circulating biogenic amines may contribute to the cardiotoxic effects, but other factors, like the direct toxic effects of MDMA and its metabolites in cardiac cells, remain to be investigated....