introduction: 3-4, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (mdma) causes apoptosis in nervous system and several studies suggest that oxidative stress contributes to mdma-induced neurotoxicity. the aim of this study is to examine the effects of n-acetyl-l-cystein (nac) as an antioxidant on mdma-induced apoptosis. methods: 21 sprague dawley male rats (200-250mg) were treated with mdma (2×0,5mg/kg) or mdma...

Two persons are described who demonstrated prolonged neuropsychiatric syndromes after the ingestion of large doses of (+-)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a recreationally used amphetamine analog. These cases suggest that MDMA, known to be neurotoxic to serotonin neurons in several experimental animals, may also produce untoward effects in humans. In addition, they provide evidence th...

The effect of repeated administration of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) on the expression of tyrosinc hydroxylase and preprocholecystokinin (CCK) messenger RNAs in substantia nigra was examined by in situ hybridisation histochemistry. Sections hybridised with 35S-labelled oligonucleotides were subjected to computerised image analysis to determine the densiw of silver grains above posi...

Evidence from research with a range of animal species, from rodents to non-human primates, has shown that MDMA (+/-3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is neurotoxic. This article explores the evidence that MDMA may be neurotoxic in humans by briefly overviewing three types of research: (1) neurobiological, (2) psychological/somatic and (3) psychiatric. The first type of evidence derives from ne...

The acute effects of amphetamine derivatives on extracellular concentration of serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine in the nucleus accumbens were studied with in vivo microdialysis using conscious, freely moving rats. 5-HT, dopamine, and their major metabolites were measured by HPLC with electrochemical detection. Amphetamine (1.0-9.0 mg/kg) elevated dopamine levels considerably, but failed to affect ...

In this study, we measured conditioned place preference (CPP) responses to cocaine following subchronic administration of the recreationally abused drug (+/-)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Animals were given either vehicle (1 ml/kg of distilled water, s.c.) or MDMA (20 mg/kg, s.c.) twice a day for 4 consecutive days. Two weeks later, CPP respon...

In this work, the neutral and basic impurities found in the precipitate of MDMA(*)HCl are presented. MDMA.HCl was prepared by the most popular synthesis methods used in clandestine manufacture, i.e. safrole bromination, Leuckart method and reductive amination with various reducing agents: Al/Hg, NaBH(4), NaBH(3)CN. 3,4-Methylenedioxyphenyl-2-propanone (MDP-2-P), the starting material in Leuckar...

introduction: exposure to 3-4, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (mdma) leads to cell death. herein, we studied the protective effects of ginger on mdma- induced apoptosis. methods: 15 sprague dawley male rats were administrated with 0, 10 mg/kg mdma, or mdma along with 100mg/kg ginger, ip for 7 days. brains were removed to study the caspase 3, 8, and 9 expressions in the hippocampus by rt-pcr. dat...

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) is a racemic drug of abuse and its two enantiomers are known to differ in their dose-response curves. The S-enantiomer was shown to be eliminated at a higher rate than the R-enantiomer. The most likely explanation for this is a stereoselective metabolism also claimed in in vitro studies. Urinary excretion studies showed that the main metabolites...

Lycanthropy is an unusual belief or delusion in which the patient thinks that he/she has been transformed into an animal. In rare cases, the patient believes that another person has been transformed into an animal. In this case report, a patient who had an uncommon variant of lycanthropy is introduced. The patient’s symptoms had appeared after consumption of ecstasy. This shows the occurrence o...