Chemical Research in Toxicology
May 10, 2011
Anne Neudörffer, Melanie Mueller, Claire-Marie Martinez et al.
5 citations
The purpose of the present study was to determine if trihydroxymethamphetamine (THMA), a metabolite of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy"), or its thioether conjugate, 6-(N-acetylcystein-S-yl)-2,4,5-trihydroxymethamphetamine (6-NAC-THMA), play a role in the lasting effects of MDMA on brain serotonin (5-HT) neurons. To this end, novel high-yield syntheses of THMA and 6-NAC-THMA were...
Neuropsychopharmacology
February 2006
Annis O. Mechan, Jie Yuan, George Hatzidimitriou et al.
A large body of data indicates that (+/-)3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 'ecstasy') can damage brain serotonin neurons in animals. However, the relevance of these preclinical data to humans is uncertain, because doses and routes of administration used in animals have generally differed from those used by humans. Here, we examined the pharmacokinetic profile of MDMA in squirrel monkeys...
Psychopharmacology
May 2004
Thomas J R Beveridge, Annis O. Mechan, Marie Sprakes et al.
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) administration to rats produces an acute hyperthermic response and induces localised neuronal activation, which can be visualised via expression of immediate-early genes. The pharmacological and anatomical basis of these effects are unclear. At high doses, MDMA also causes selective neurotoxicity at serotonergic nerve terminals. We investigated the...
Pharmacological Reviews
September 2003
Alfred Richard Green, Annis O. Mechan, J Martin Elliott et al.
The amphetamine derivative (+/-)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) is a popular recreational drug among young people, particularly those involved in the dance culture. MDMA produces an acute, rapid enhancement in the release of both serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine from nerve endings in the brains of experimental animals. It produces increased locomotor activity and the serotonin...
British Journal of Pharmacology
2002
Annis O. Mechan, B. Moreno Esteban, Esther O’shea et al.
219 citations
The pharmacology of the acute hyperthermia that follows 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ‘ecstasy’) administration to rats has been investigated. MDMA (12.5 mg kg −1 i.p.) produced acute hyperthermia (measured rectally). The tail skin temperature did not increase, suggesting that MDMA may impair heat dissipation. Pretreatment with the 5‐HT 1/2 antagonist methysergide (10 mg kg −1 ), the...
British Journal of Pharmacology
December 1, 2001
María Isabel Colado, Jorge Camarero, Annis O. Mechan et al.
122 citations
Administration of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ‘ecstasy’) to mice produces acute hyperthermia and long‐term degeneration of striatal dopamine nerve terminals. Attenuation of the hyperthermia decreases the neurodegeneration. We have investigated the mechanisms involved in producing the neurotoxic loss of striatal dopamine. MDMA produced a dose‐dependent loss in striatal dopamine...