Analysis of the enantiomers of 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-ethylamphetamine (MDE, "Eve") and its metabolite 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) in rat brain.
K M Hegadoren, G B Baker, R T Coutts
Journal of pharmacological and toxicological methods October 1995 DOI: 10.1016/1056-8719(95)00045-j (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Preclinical animal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Rats |
| Intervention | MDE |
| Duration | Brain levels measured at 1, 4, and 8 hours after acute injection |
| Key points | Brain levels of MDE and its metabolite MDA after acute intraperitoneal MDE were lower than MDMA and MDA levels after MDMA injection in the authors' earlier study. Enantiomer differences were much less marked for MDE than MDMA, and where present, the (R)-(-) versus (S)-(+) relationship was opposite to that reported for MDMA. |
Abstract
The methylenedioxy analogues of amphetamine are used recreationally despite concerns raised regarding potential neurotoxicity of the parent compounds and a number of metabolites. Much has been written regarding 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-ethylamphetamine (MDE; "Eve"), despite recent reports indicating the abuse of this drug and its potentially serious side effects. An assay procedure was developed for the simultaneous quantitation of both enantiomers of MDE and its metabolite MDA; the method involves derivatization with an optically pure reagent and analysis on a gas chromatograph equipped with a capillary column and a nitrogen-phosphorus detector. Brain levels of the enantiomers of MDE and MDA were examined in the rat at different time periods after acute i.p. injections of racemic MDE and the results were compared with levels of MDMA and MDA obtained after i.p. injection of MDMA in a previous study from our laboratories. The levels of the enantiomers of MDE and MDA achieved at 1, 4, and 8 hr were lower than in the case of MDMA. Stereoselective differences in brain levels of enantiomers of the parent drug and metabolite were much less marked with MDE than with MDMA, but where these small differences did exist in the case of MDE, the (R)-(-) vs (S)-(+) relationship was opposite to that reported for MDMA.