4-Bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-B) is a psychoactive analogue of mescaline that is becoming increasingly popular as a rave and club drug. We investigated its presence in the illicit drug market in Spain, its pattern of use and profile of subjective effects. Drug material was analysed for 2C-B and information on pattern of use and subjective effects was obtained from recreational users....
Background: Psychedelic drugs facilitate profound changes in consciousness and have potential to provide insights into the nature of human mental processes and their relation to brain physiology. Yet published scientific literature reflects a very limited understanding of the effects of these drugs, especially for newer synthetic compounds. The number of clinical trials and range of drugs...
Modification of the furan ring of salvinorin A (1), the main active component of Salvia divinorum, has resulted in novel neoclerodane diterpenes with opioid receptor affinity and activity. Conversion of the furan ring to an aldehyde at the C-12 position (5) has allowed for the synthesis of analogues with new carbon-carbon bonds at that position. Previous methods for forming these bonds, such as...
Psychoactive natural products play an important role in the discovery and development of new drugs for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Our studies are focusing on identification of plant metabolites responsible for CNS activity and designing new ligands with high affinity to CNS receptors. Salvinorin A, the most potent naturally occurring hallucinogen isolated from the...
Reviewed by: Caves and the Ancient Greek Mind: Descending Underground in the Search for Ultimate Truth Suzanne Lye Yulia Ustinova . Caves and the Ancient Greek Mind: Descending Underground in the Search for Ultimate Truth. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Pp. x, 315. $95.00. ISBN 978-0-19-954856-9. Yulia Ustinova provides a study of the use of caves and underground chambers in ancient...
Recently, a new class of “designer drugs” has emerged on the drug use market, known as “legal highs” or “herbal highs”. They include a wide range of products, from natural plant-originated substances to synthetic compounds, that can be purchased both online and from high street retailers. “Legal highs” mimic psychoactive effects of illicit drugs of abuse. However, they are claimed to consist of...
A vast array of substances are marketed as "legal highs" in the UK. These products are mainly marketed online and are packaged and produced to mimic illicit drugs. Little is known about the full range of products available at present and no studies have evaluated the product information provided to consumers. AIMS & HYPOTHESIS: To describe the available legal high products marketed by UK-based...
Pharmacologic and toxic effects of xenobiotics, such as drugs of abuse, depend on the genotype and phenotype of an individual, and conversely on the isoenzymes involved in their metabolism and transport. The current knowledge of such isoenzymes of frequently abused therapeutics such as opioids (oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone, fentanyl, buprenorphine, tramadol, heroin, morphine and codeine),...
Classic kappa opioid receptor (KOPr) agonists have shown anti-addictive properties in rat models of addiction (Heidbreder et al. 1998; Schenk et al. 1999; Sun et al. 2010), and this has been shown to be partially through modulation of dopamine and serotonin in the synapse (Thompson et al. 2000; Zhang et al. 2004; Zakharova et al. 2008a). However, they have side effects such as depression and...
Rationale: Kappa opioid receptor (KOPr) activation by traditional agonists has been shown to produce anti-addiction behaviours. However, adverse effects such as sedation, aversion and depression have limited their clinical development. Recently, salvinorin A (Sal A), an active component of the plant Salvia divinorum was shown to be a potent and selective KOPr agonist. Sal A has a short duration...