An Appraisal of the Pharmacological and Toxicological Effects of a Single Oral Administration of 3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in the Rat
Ivone de Souza, John R. Kelly, Andrew Harkin, B. E. Leonard
Pharmacology & Toxicology May 1, 1997 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0773.1997.tb01961.x (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAcute oral administration of MDMA (Ecstasy) to adult female rats produced dose-related effects including hyperthermia, reduced food and water intake, and hyperactivity. Deaths occurred from 40 mg/kg upward. Lower doses (20 and 40 mg/kg) caused prolonged hyperactivity lasting about 9 hours, while higher doses led to serotonin syndrome. The likely cause of death was a combination of serotonin syndrome and hyperthermia.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Adult female rats |
| Interventions | 3 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA |
| Dose | 20, 40, 80, 160 and 320 mg/kg orally |
| Duration | 8 hours (hyperthermia), 9 hours (hyperactivity) |
| Topics | MDMA Serotonin |
| Keywords | Oral administration Medicine Pharmacology |
| Citations | 29 |
| Key finding | Acute oral MDMA administration caused dose-related hyperthermia, reduced food and water intake, hyperactivity at lower doses, and serotonin syndrome at higher doses, with deaths from 40 mg/kg upward. |
Abstract
Abstract: This study examined some acute pharmacological and toxicological effects of 3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, “Ecstasy”) over a range of doses (20, 40, 80, 160 and 320 mg/kg orally) in adult female rats. Deaths were observed from the 40 mg/kg MDMA group onwards. Reductions in body weight change, food and water intake were found in the 80 mg/kg group, whilst food intake alone was reduced in the 20 and 40 mg/kg groups. Significant hyperthermic responses were found over the first 8 hr following MDMA administration which were dose‐related. A significant hyperactivity of approximately 9 hr duration was observed in the 20 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg groups, whereas there was evidence of a serotonin syndrome in the higher dosage groups. Thus, acute oral administration of MDMA results in a variety of measurable responses. The cause of death in this study is probably a combination of serotonin syndrome and hyperthermia.