Arylcyclohexylamine Derivatives: Pharmacokinetic, Pharmacodynamic, Clinical and Forensic Aspects
R. Pelletier, B. Le Daré, Diane Le Bouëdec, Angéline Kernalléguen, P. Ferron, I. Morel, T. Gicquel
International Journal of Molecular Sciences December 1, 2022 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232415574 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
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| Key findings | The authors describe arylcyclohexylamine derivatives as an emerging class of new psychoactive substances whose recreational use is increasing and for which detailed toxicity data are lacking. They note that synthetic ketamine derivatives produced in Asia are arriving in Europe, where most are legal because they are not listed as narcotics, and that these derivatives can differ substantially from ketamine in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. |
Abstract
Since the 2000s, an increasing number of new psychoactive substances (NPS) have appeared on the drug market. Arylcyclohexylamine (ACH) compounds such as ketamine, phencyclidine and eticyclidine derivatives are of particular concern, given their rapidly increasing use and the absence of detailed toxicity data. First used mainly for their pharmacological properties in anesthesia, their recreational use is increasing. ACH derivatives have an antagonistic activity against the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, which leads to dissociative effects (dissociation of body and mind). Synthetic ketamine derivatives produced in Asia are now arriving in Europe, where most are not listed as narcotics and are, thus, legal. These structural derivatives have pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties that are sometimes very different from ketamine. Here, we describe the pharmacology, epidemiology, chemistry and metabolism of ACH derivatives, and we review the case reports on intoxication.