Journal of Analytical Toxicology
September 16, 2015
Justin L. Poklis, Stephen A. Raso, Kylie N. Alford et al.
93 citations
NBOMe derivatives, a class of designer hallucinogenic drugs that act as 5-HT2A receptor agonists, have become popular drugs of abuse and can cause severe intoxications, including serotonin-like syndrome with bizarre behavior, severe agitation, and seizures lasting up to 3 days. The most commonly reported derivatives are 25I-NBOMe, 25B-NBOMe, and 25C-NBOMe, often sold on blotter paper. Analysis of three commercial blotter papers using Direct Analysis in Real Time mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry found each contained a different major NBOMe derivative, along with minute amounts of two or three other NBOMe derivative impurities.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
October 20, 2014
Joji Suzuki, Justin L. Poklis, Alphonse Poklis
60 citations
A case report describes a suicide attempt following ingestion of a substance believed to be LSD, but laboratory analysis identified it as 25I-NBOMe, a synthetic hallucinogen of the NBOMe class. The authors emphasize that clinicians should suspect NBOMe ingestion in patients who report recent use of LSD or other hallucinogens, as adverse effects are increasingly reported.
Scientific Reports
October 3, 2019
Mario de la Fuente Revenga, Jong M. Shin, Hiba Vohra et al.
57 citations
A fully automated system detects head-twitch behavior (HTR) in mice, a behavioral marker of psychedelic drug action at the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor. The system was validated using the psychedelic DOI in mice lacking the 5-HT2A receptor and by evaluating false-positive and false-negative events. Automation enabled efficient time-course studies. Pharmacological interactions between the 5-HT2A receptor and metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 (mGluR2) were explored: the mGluR2/3 antagonist LY341495 potentiated DOI-induced HTR, while the mGluR2/3 agonist LY404039 blocked it. This system can accelerate understanding of 5-HT2A receptor pharmacology and its behavioral outputs in rodents.
Neuroscience Letters
September 25, 2022
Alaina M Jaster, Jason Younkin, Travis Cuddy et al.
53 citations
The psychedelic compound DOI triggers more head-twitch behavior—a mouse proxy for human psychedelic effects—in female C57BL/6J mice than in males, a sex difference not seen in 129S6/SvEv mice. The 5-HT2A receptor antagonist volinanserin fully blocked this behavior in both sexes. Despite greater behavioral sensitivity in females, brain and plasma levels of DOI were lower in females 30 and 60 minutes after injection, and no sex difference appeared in frontal-cortex IP1 accumulation. These findings indicate strain-dependent and sex-related differences in the behavioral and pharmacokinetic responses to DOI, underscoring the need to include sex as a biological variable in preclinical psychedelic research.
Nature Communications
November 20, 2025
Alaina M Jaster, Thomas M Hadlock, Belle Buzzi et al.
9 citations
A single dose of the psychedelic psilocybin reduces conditioned behavior and withdrawal caused by the opioid oxycodone in male mice but not in females. This sex-specific effect is mediated by the 5-HT2A receptor in frontal cortex pyramidal neurons that project to the nucleus accumbens. Psilocybin also alters epigenomic regulation after repeated oxycodone exposure and induces sex-specific structural plasticity in the nucleus accumbens independently of the 5-HT2A receptor. Female frontal cortex and nucleus accumbens show fewer changes at gene enhancer regions in response to psilocybin, repeated oxycodone, or their combination compared to males, with the frontal cortex displaying more pronounced sex differences at the epigenomic level.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 1, 2024
Alaina K Holt, Alyssa K Rudy, Ashlee N Sawyer et al.
2 citations
A survey of e-cigarette users found that devices originally intended for nicotine are now commonly used to consume other drugs, especially cannabinoids. Respondents averaged 27.4 years old, mostly male (73%). Vape pens were the most common device type. Cannabinoids were the most reported drug class for both lifetime and past 30-day use. Other drugs reported include herbal supplements, amphetamines, caffeine, kratom, vitamins, opiates, DMT, fentanyl, and ketamine. Vaping alone was the most common context, followed by with friends, at home, and at social events; less common contexts included driving, at work, and at school. The results can inform future national surveys and public safety efforts.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
October 1, 2015
Justin L. Poklis, Sara K Dempsey, Kai Liu et al.
Fifteen metabolites of the designer hallucinogen 25I-NBOMe were identified in mouse liver microsomal preparations and in urine from two intoxicated patients. One patient's urine contained the parent drug and all fifteen metabolites; the other contained only three O-desmethyl metabolites. Two major urinary metabolites were synthesized. The authors recommend using β-glucuronidase hydrolysis before screening and using the metabolite M5 as the primary biomarker for detecting 25I-NBOMe use.
Psychosomatics
January 1, 2015
Joji Suzuki, Michael A Dekker, Erin S Valenti et al.
A systematic review of 20 patients with confirmed NBOMe ingestion found that these synthetic hallucinogens cause severe toxicity. 25I-NBOMe was the most common analogue. Fatalities occurred in 3 cases (15%). Common adverse effects included agitation (85%), tachycardia (85%), hypertension (65%), and seizures (40%). Many patients (40%) required intensive care unit admission. Laboratory abnormalities such as elevated creatinine kinase (45%) were frequent. Clinicians should suspect NBOMe ingestion in patients who recently used hallucinogens.
Biomedical Chromatography
December 1, 2013
Justin L. Poklis, Jezelle Charles, Carl E. Wolf et al.
A new high-performance liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry method was developed to detect and quantify two designer drugs, 2CC-NBOMe and 25I-NBOMe, in the serum of intoxicated emergency department patients. The method uses solid-phase extraction and is linear over 30–2000 pg/mL, with a detection limit of 10 pg/mL for both compounds. Applied to two severely intoxicated patients, serum concentrations of 25I-NBOMe were 250 and 2780 pg/mL. The method is suitable for clinical toxicology testing.