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Raúl López‐arnau

8 papers in the library · 29 citations · publishing 2022-2026

Papers

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Alkyl-Chain Extension and Terminal Amine Substitution Shape Cardiotoxic Profiles of Methylenedioxy Cathinones in Zebrafish Embryos

Pharmaceuticals August 7, 2026 Ouwais Aljabasini, Niki Tagkalidou, Martalu D. Pazos et al.

Background/Objectives: Synthetic cathinones are a rapidly evolving class of new psychoactive substances whose structural diversity complicates toxicological risk assessment. Methylenedioxy cathinones occupy a pharmacological space between MDMA-like entactogens and more dopaminergic stimulant cathinones, but their direct cardiac liabilities remain poorly characterized. This study aimed to...

Correction to "Next-Generation MDMA Analogue SDMA: Pharmacological and Metabolic Insights".

ACS Chem Neurosci March 4, 2026 Nina Kastner, Núria Nadal‐gratacós, Selina Hemmer et al. correction

Correction 1: Table 1.The analyses were conducted using the correct data, and all results, interpretations, and conclusions in the paper remain fully accurate.The issue is limited to the presentation of values in the table.Correction 2: p 4733, second paragraph, 1 st sentence.Thigmotaxis was evaluated to assess potential anxiety-like effects induced by the compounds.When comparing the tested...

Next-Generation MDMA Analogue SDMA: Pharmacological and Metabolic Insights

ACS Chemical Neuroscience December 2, 2025 Nina Kastner, Núria Nadal‐gratacós, Selina Hemmer et al.

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), commonly known as ecstasy, shows promise in treating depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), resulting in breakthrough status. However, concerns regarding MDMA's abuse potential and cytotoxicity have sparked interest in developing safer analogues with similar therapeutic benefits. This study investigated the pharmacological properties of...

The psychedelic phenethylamine 25C-NBF, a selective 5-HT2A agonist, shows psychoplastogenic properties and rapid antidepressant effects in male rodents

Molecular Psychiatry November 14, 2025 Núria Nadal‐gratacós, Pol Puigseslloses, Laura Hernández‐guzmán et al.

Psychedelics have garnered significant interest for their therapeutic potential in mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. While research has primarily focused on well-studied psychedelics, phenethylamine derivatives have also gathered interest for their potential therapeutic applications. Thus, this study aims to investigate the pharmacological...

Neuropharmacology of halogenated DMT analogs: psychoplastogenic and antidepressant properties of 5-Br-DMT, a psychedelic derivative with low hallucinogenic potential

Molecular Psychiatry October 21, 2025 Pol Puigseslloses, Núria Nadal‐gratacós, Berta Fumàs et al. 1 citation

Current first-line antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), often present a delayed onset of action and fail to effectively treat a large proportion of patients, leaving a gap in the treatment of mood disorders. Psychedelics have recently emerged as promising alternatives due to their ability to produce fast-acting antidepressant effects through neuroplastic...

Psychedelics for the Treatment of Substance Use Disorder

Pharmaceutical science. October 13, 2025 Berta Fumàs, David Pubill, Raúl López‐arnau et al.

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a chronic, relapsing mental health condition characterized by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequences. According to the World Health Organization, in 2021, approximately 39.5 million individuals worldwide suffered from drug use disorders, contributing to an estimated 600,000 deaths annually. Moreover, current pharmacological treatment, such as...

Structure-activity relationships of serotonergic 5-MeO-DMT derivatives: insights into psychoactive and thermoregulatory properties

Molecular Psychiatry March 14, 2024 Pol Puigseslloses, Gabriel Ketsela, Nicola Weiss et al. 23 citations

Abstract Recent studies have sparked renewed interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for treating depression and other mental health conditions. Simultaneously, the novel psychoactive substances (NPS) phenomenon, with a huge number of NPS emerging constantly, has changed remarkably the illicit drug market, being their scientific evaluation an urgent need. Thus, this study aims to...

3,4-Methylenedioxy methamphetamine, synthetic cathinones and psychedelics: From recreational to novel psychotherapeutic drugs

Frontiers in Psychiatry October 3, 2022 Jordi Camarasa, Pol Puigseslloses, Edurne Urquizu et al. 5 citations

The utility of classical drugs used to treat psychiatric disorders (e.g., antidepressants, anxiolytics) is often limited by issues of lack of efficacy, delayed onset of action or side effects. Psychoactive substances have a long history of being used as tools to alter consciousness and as a gateway to approach the unknown and the divinities. These substances were initially obtained from plants...