Skip to content

Effects of MDMA, MDA and MDEA on blood pressure, heart rate, locomotor activity and body temperature in the rat involveα‐adrenoceptors

Sotiria Bexis, James R. Docherty

British Journal of Pharmacology February 20, 2006 DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0706688 (opens in new tab)

Relevant Not relevant

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Experimental study Peer reviewed
Population Conscious rats
Interventions MDMA MDA MDEA BRL 44408
Dose 20 mg kg −1
Topics MDMA
Keywords Heart rate Blood pressure Pharmacology Anesthesia
Citations 62
Key findings MDA produced the most marked and prolonged increase in blood pressure, while MDEA acted as an α1-adrenoceptor antagonist and showed the slowest recovery from hypothermia.

Abstract

The effects of injection of 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), 3,4‐methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and N ‐ethyl‐3,4‐methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDEA) (all 20 mg kg −1 ) on blood pressure, heart rate, core body temperature and locomotor activity in conscious rats were investigated using radiotelemetry. MDMA and MDA produced a prolonged increase in both systolic and diastolic pressures, with MDA causing the most marked rise. MDEA produced a transient but nonsignificant fall in diastolic pressure. The pressor response produced by MDA was accompanied by bradycardia. All three amphetamine derivatives caused an initial hypothermic response; however, MDA also produced a subsequent hyperthermia, and the speed of recovery from hypothermia was MDA>MDMA>MDEA. The α 2A ‐adrenoceptor antagonist 2‐((4,5‐dihydro‐1 H ‐imidazol‐2‐yl)methyl)‐2,3‐dihydro‐1‐methyl‐1 H ‐isoindole (BRL 44408) (1 mg kg −1 ) prolonged the hypothermic response to MDMA. Only MDA induced locomotor activity when given alone, but in the presence of BRL 44408, MDMA produced increased locomotor activity. The order of potency for producing isometric contractions of rat aorta ( α 1D ) and vas deferens ( α 1A ) was MDA>MDMA>MDEA, with MDEA acting as an α 1 ‐adrenoceptor antagonist with a p K B of 4.79±0.12 ( n =4) in aorta. The order of potency for prejunctional inhibition of stimulation‐evoked contractions in rat vas deferens ( α 2A ‐adrenoceptor mediated) was MDA>MDMA>MDEA. Blood pressure actions of the three amphetamine derivatives may be at least partly due to α 1 ‐adrenoceptor agonism or antagonism. The reversal of the hypothermic actions are at least partly due to α 2A ‐adrenoceptor agonism since the hypothermic response was more prolonged with MDEA which exhibits low α 2A ‐adrenoceptor potency, and effects of MDMA after α 2A ‐adrenoceptor antagonism were similar to those of MDEA. British Journal of Pharmacology (2006) 147 , 926–934. doi: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0706688

Comparable studies

Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Neurotoxicity of the psychedelic amphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine. Rats (implied by typical neurochemical study context) 1987 Experimental study
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine destroy serotonin terminals in rat brain: quantification of neurodegeneration by measurement of [3H]paroxetine-labeled serotonin uptake sites. Rat brain 1987 Animal experiment
Comparison of the monoamine transporters from human and mouse in their sensitivities to psychostimulant drugs Human and mouse dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin transporters expressed in cells 2006 In vitro laboratory study
Small Changes in Ambient Temperature Cause Large Changes in 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-Induced Serotonin Neurotoxicity and Core Body Temperature in the Rat Rats 1998 Experimental study
Altered Serotonin Innervation Patterns in the Forebrain of Monkeys Treated with (±)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Seven Years Previously: Factors Influencing Abnormal Recovery Squirrel monkeys treated with MDMA 1999 Observational cohort

Citations in the library

Cited by 21

and 16 more in the library

Cites 16

and 11 more in the library

Related reading

Explore topics

MDMA