Pharmacology of MDAT
Nichols et. al. (1990) evaluated MDAT for the drugs potential in generating serotonin neurotoxicity by acute administration to rats, analyzing one hemisphere for catecholamines, serotonin, and metabolites - and the other hemisphere by radioligand-binding, using [3H]paroxetine to establish affinity (Kd) and number of binding sites (Bmax) for serotonin. Bmax has been demonstrated to correlate with loss of serotonin neuron terminals. The table below demonstrates that MDAT (3b in table III, 4b in table IV) did not depress levels of any monoamine or metabolites, nor were Kd or Bmax altered in radioligand-binding with [3H]paroxetine - indicating that no loss of serotonin uptake sites occurred, likely reflecting an absence of serotonin terminal degeneration. This differs from MDMA, which did indeed depress serotonin levels, as well as reduce uptake sites.
In addition, the compound was evaluated using the two-lever drug-discrimination assay in groups of rats trained to discriminate saline from injections of LSD, or saline from MDMA - the goal of which was to observe any potential behavioral properties similar to that of LSD (hallucinogenic) or MDMA (entactogenic).
In LSD-trained rats, stimulus generalization was not observed from MDAT - consistent with the observation that tetralin [and indan] congeners of hallucinogenic amphetamine derivatives do not present hallucinogenic activity. Nichols et. al. suggest that it is doubtful that such analogues would produce hallucinogenic activity in humans, though they're careful to state that this cannot be determined with certainty in the absence of clinical studies.
MDAT indeed produced an MDMA-like discriminative stimulus, though required higher doses than MDMA to produce comparable effects. Below is a chart comparing several analogues to MDMA (compound 1), including MDAT (compound 3b).
The above study suggests that compounds, such as MDAT, may present MDMA-like effects without the long-term serotonin neurotoxicity characterizing MDMA[1].
![[IMG]](https://www.drugs-forum.com/photopost/data/711/medium/MDAT_DrgDiscrim_RadioBind.png)
![[IMG]](https://www.drugs-forum.com/photopost/data/711/medium/MDAT_DrgDiscrim.png)
Chemistry of MDAT
Column 1 Column 2 Systematic (IUPAC) name: 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo[f][1,3]benzodioxol-7-amine Synonyms: Molecular Formula: C11H13NO2, C11H13NO2.HCl Molar mass: 191.23 g/mol [1] CAS Registry Number: 101625-35-8, 33446-21-8 (hydrochloride) Melting Point: Boiling Point: Flash Point: no data Solubility: Additionnal data: Notes:
References
- ^Nichols, David, Brewster, William, Johnson, Michael, Oberlander, Robert, Riggs, Robert, Nonneurotoxic Tetralin and Indan Analogues of 3,4-(methylenedioxy)amphetamine (MDA)
[1] Calculated from Atomic Weights of the Elements, 2007
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