Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
May 1, 2024
Chuang-Hsin Chiu, Kuo-Hsing Ma, Eagle Yi-Kung Huang et al.
4 citations
The neurotoxicity of 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) to the serotonergic system is well-documented. Dextromethorphan (DM), an antitussive drug, decreased morphine- or methamphetamine (MA)-induced reward in rats and may prevent MDMA-induced serotonergic deficiency in primates, as indicated by increased serotonin transporter (SERT) availability. We aimed to investigate the effects of DM...
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
June 24, 2022
Chi-Jung Tsai, Chuang-Hsin Chiu, Yu-Yeh Kuo et al.
Numerous studies have confirmed that 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) produces long-lasting changes to the density of the serotonin reuptake transporter (SERT). Amitriptyline (AMI) has been shown to exert neuroprotective properties in neuropathologic injury. Here, we used a SERT-specific radionuclide, 4-[18F]-ADAM, to assess the longitudinal alterations in SERT binding and evaluate the...
Pharmacological Research
February 28, 2019
Jui-Hu Shih, Chuang-Hsin Chiu, Kuo-Hsing Ma et al.
Graphical abstract Figure. No Caption available. Abstract The 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a popular recreational drug, which ultimately leads to serotonergic (5‐HT) neurotoxicity and psychiatric disorders. Previous in vitro studies have consistently demonstrated that MDMA provokes autophagic activation, as well as damage of 5‐HT axons and nerve fibers. So far, whether autophagy,...
Scientific Reports
December 12, 2016
Kuo-Hsing Ma, Tsung-Ta Liu, Shao-Ju Weng et al.
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a common recreational drug, is known to cause serotonergic neurotoxicity in the brain. Dextromethorphan (DM) is a widely used antitussive reported to exert anti-inflammatory effect in vivo. In this study, we examined the long-term effect of MDMA on the primate serotonergic system and the protective property of DM against MDMA-induced serotonergic...
PLoS One
June 10, 2016
Chuang-Hsin Chiu, Tiing-Yee Siow, Shao-Ju Weng et al.
9 citations
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), also known as "Ecstasy", is a common recreational drug of abuse. Several previous studies have attributed the central serotonergic neurotoxicity of MDMA to distal axotomy, since only fine serotonergic axons ascending from the raphe nucleus are lost without apparent damage to their cell bodies. However, this axotomy has never been visualized directly in...
European Neuropsychopharmacology
January 2016
Jui-Hu Shih, Kuo-Hsing Ma, Chien-Fu F Chen et al.
The misuse of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has drawn a growing concern worldwide for its psychophysiological impacts on humans. MDMA abusers are often accompanied by long-term serotonergic neurotoxicity, which is associated with reduced density of cerebral serotonin transporters (SERT) and depressive disorders. Resveratrol (RSV) is a natural polyphenolic phytoalexin that has been...
Neurotoxicology
January 2016
I-Hsun Li, Kuo-Hsing Ma, Tzu-Jen Kao et al.
It has been suggested that autophagy plays pathogenetic roles in cerebral ischemia, brain trauma, and neurodegenerative disorders. 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy) is an illicit drug that causes long-term serotonergic neurotoxicity in the brain. Apoptosis and necrosis have been implicated in MDMA-induced neurotoxicity, but the role of autophagy in MDMA-elicited serotonergic...
PLoS One
December 31, 2014
I-Hsun Li, Kuo-Hsing Ma, Shao-Ju Weng et al.
40 citations
Autophagic (type II) cell death, characterized by the massive accumulation of autophagic vacuoles in the cytoplasm of cells, has been suggested to play pathogenetic roles in cerebral ischemia, brain trauma, and neurodegenerative disorders. 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy) is an illicit drug causing long-term neurotoxicity in the brain. Apoptotic (type I) and necrotic (type...