The neurochemical and stimulatory effects of putative metabolites of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine in rats.
Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior July 1991 DOI: 10.1016/0091-3057(91)90165-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental animal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Rats |
| Interventions | MDA MDMA 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyamphetamine alpha-methyldopamine alpha-methylnorepinephrine alpha-methylepinephrine |
| Dose | 10 mg/kg (as base), injected subcutaneously |
| Duration | Twice daily for either 5 or 7 consecutive doses; rats killed 24 h after the last injection |
| Topics | MDMA |
| Key findings | Repeated MDA and MDMA administration reduced frontal-cortex serotonin and its metabolite 5-HIAA and increased locomotor activity in rats. The metabolites 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyamphetamine and alpha-methyldopamine also reduced serotonin but did not affect 5-HIAA or locomotion, while alpha-methylepinephrine produced only a brief early increase in activity. |
Abstract
Rats were injected SC with a dose of 10 mg/kg (as base) of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyamphetamine, alpha-methyldopamine and alpha-methylnorepinephrine, metabolites of MDA, and alpha-methylepinephrine, a putative metabolite of MDMA, twice daily for either 5 or 7 consecutive doses. The rats were killed 24 h after the last injection and monoamines in discrete brain regions were assayed. MDA, MDMA, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyamphetamine and alpha-methyldopamine, but not alpha-methylepinephrine, decreased the concentration of serotonin (5-HT) in the frontal cortex. MDA and MDMA, but not 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyamphetamine, alpha-methyldopamine and alpha-methylepinephrine, also decreased the concentration of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the frontal cortexes. In stimulatory studies, MDA and MDMA, but not their metabolites except alpha-methylepinephrine, which increased activity at 15 and 30 min, increased locomotor activity from 15 to 180 min following the drug administration.