6-Methyl-MDA
Encyclopedia
6-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (6-Methyl-MDA) is an entactogen and psychedelic
drug
of the amphetamine
class. It was first synthesized
in the late 1990s by a team including David E. Nichols
at Purdue University
while investigating derivatives of MDA
and MDMA.
6-Methyl-MDA has IC50
values of 783nM, 28,300nM, and 4,602nM for inhibiting
the reuptake
of serotonin
, dopamine
, and norepinephrine
in rat synaptosome
s. In animal studies it substitutes for MBDB
, MMAI, LSD, and DOI
, though not amphetamine
, but only partially and at high doses. Thus, while several-fold less potent
than its analogues 2-methyl-MDA
and 5-methyl-MDA, and approximately half as potent as MDA, 6-methyl-MDA is still significantly active
, and appropriate doses may be similar to or somewhat higher than those of MDMA.
Psychedelic drug
A psychedelic substance is a psychoactive drug whose primary action is to alter cognition and perception. Psychedelics are part of a wider class of psychoactive drugs known as hallucinogens, a class that also includes related substances such as dissociatives and deliriants...
drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
of the amphetamine
Substituted amphetamine
Substituted amphetamines are a chemical class of stimulants, entactogens, hallucinogens, and other drugs. They feature a phenethylamine core with a methyl group attached to the alpha carbon resulting in amphetamine, along with additional substitutions...
class. It was first synthesized
Chemical synthesis
In chemistry, chemical synthesis is purposeful execution of chemical reactions to get a product, or several products. This happens by physical and chemical manipulations usually involving one or more reactions...
in the late 1990s by a team including David E. Nichols
David E. Nichols
David E. Nichols is an American pharmacologist and medicinal chemist.Presently the Robert C. and Charlotte P. Anderson Distinguished Chair in Pharmacology at Purdue University, Nichols has worked in the field of psychoactive drugs since 1969...
at Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
while investigating derivatives of MDA
3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine
3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine , also known as tenamfetamine , is a psychedelic and entactogenic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine chemical classes...
and MDMA.
6-Methyl-MDA has IC50
IC50
The half maximal inhibitory concentration is a measure of the effectiveness of a compound in inhibiting biological or biochemical function. This quantitative measure indicates how much of a particular drug or other substance is needed to inhibit a given biological process by half...
values of 783nM, 28,300nM, and 4,602nM for inhibiting
Reuptake inhibitor
A reuptake inhibitor , also known as a transporter blocker, is a drug that inhibits the plasmalemmal transporter-mediated reuptake of a neurotransmitter from the synapse into the pre-synaptic neuron, leading to an increase in the extracellular concentrations of the neurotransmitter and therefore an...
the reuptake
Reuptake
Reuptake, or re-uptake, is the reabsorption of a neurotransmitter by a neurotransmitter transporter of a pre-synaptic neuron after it has performed its function of transmitting a neural impulse....
of serotonin
Serotonin
Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system of animals including humans...
, dopamine
Dopamine
Dopamine is a catecholamine neurotransmitter present in a wide variety of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In the brain, this substituted phenethylamine functions as a neurotransmitter, activating the five known types of dopamine receptors—D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5—and their...
, and norepinephrine
Norepinephrine
Norepinephrine is the US name for noradrenaline , a catecholamine with multiple roles including as a hormone and a neurotransmitter...
in rat synaptosome
Synaptosome
A synaptosome is an isolated terminal of a neuron. Synaptosomes are obtained after homogenization and fractionation of nerve tissue. The fractionation step involves several centrifugations to separate various organelles from the synaptosomes...
s. In animal studies it substitutes for MBDB
MBDB
Methylbenzodioxolylbutanamine is an entactogen of the phenethylamine chemical class. MBDB is a closely related chemical analogue of MDMA, with the only difference between the two molecules being an ethyl group instead of a methyl group attached to the alpha carbon.MBDB was first synthesized by...
, MMAI, LSD, and DOI
2,5-Dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine
2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine is a psychedelic drug and a substituted amphetamine of the phenethylamine family. It is also a powerful anti-inflammatory that is effective at doses on the order of 100 micrograms in humans, far below its effective dose as a psychedelic. Despite being a substituted...
, though not amphetamine
Amphetamine
Amphetamine or amfetamine is a psychostimulant drug of the phenethylamine class which produces increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and appetite.Brand names of medications that contain, or metabolize into, amphetamine include Adderall, Dexedrine, Dextrostat,...
, but only partially and at high doses. Thus, while several-fold less potent
Potency (pharmacology)
In the field of pharmacology, potency is a measure of drug activity expressed in terms of the amount required to produce an effect of given intensity. A highly potent drug evokes a larger response at low concentrations, while a drug of lower potency evokes a small response at low concentrations...
than its analogues 2-methyl-MDA
2-Methyl-MDA
2-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine is an entactogen and psychedelic drug of the amphetamine class. It acts as a selective serotonin releasing agent , with IC50 values of 93nM, 12,000nM, and 1,937nM for serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine efflux. 2-Methyl-MDA is more potent than MDA,...
and 5-methyl-MDA, and approximately half as potent as MDA, 6-methyl-MDA is still significantly active
Activity (chemistry)
In chemical thermodynamics, activity is a measure of the “effective concentration” of a species in a mixture, meaning that the species' chemical potential depends on the activity of a real solution in the same way that it would depend on concentration for an ideal solution.By convention, activity...
, and appropriate doses may be similar to or somewhat higher than those of MDMA.