PMID- 23178799
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20130610
LR  - 20220311
IS  - 1879-0712 (Electronic)
IS  - 0014-2999 (Print)
IS  - 0014-2999 (Linking)
VI  - 698
IP  - 1-3
DP  - 2013 Jan 5
TI  - Psychoactive "bath salts": not so soothing.
PG  - 1-5
LID - S0014-2999(12)00951-X [pii]
LID - 10.1016/j.ejphar.2012.11.020 [doi]
AB  - Recently there has been a dramatic rise in the abuse of so-called "bath salts" 
      products that are purchased as legal alternatives to illicit drugs like cocaine 
      and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Baths salts contain one or more 
      synthetic derivatives of the naturally-occurring stimulant cathinone. Low doses 
      of bath salts produce euphoria and increase alertness, but high doses or chronic 
      use can cause serious adverse effects such as hallucinations, delirium, 
      hyperthermia and tachycardia. Owing to the risks posed by bath salts, the 
      governments of many countries have made certain cathinones illegal, namely: 
      4-methylmethcathinone (mephedrone), 3,4-methylenedioxymethcathinone (methylone) 
      and 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV). Similar to other psychomotor 
      stimulants, synthetic cathinones target plasma membrane transporters for dopamine 
      (i.e., DAT), norepinephrine (i.e., NET) and serotonin (i.e, SERT). Mephedrone and 
      methylone act as non-selective transporter substrates, thereby stimulating 
      non-exocytotic release of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. By contrast, 
      MDPV acts as a potent blocker at DAT and NET, with little effect at SERT. 
      Administration of mephedrone or methylone to rats increases extracellular 
      concentrations of dopamine and serotonin in the brain, analogous to the effects 
      of MDMA. Not surprisingly, synthetic cathinones elicit locomotor activation in 
      rodents. Stimulation of dopamine transmission by synthetic cathinones predicts a 
      high potential for addiction and may underlie clinical adverse effects. As 
      popular synthetic cathinones are rendered illegal, new replacement cathinones are 
      appearing in the marketplace. More research on the pharmacology and toxicology of 
      abused cathinones is needed to inform public health policy and develop strategies 
      for treating medical consequence of bath salts abuse.
CI  - Published by Elsevier B.V.
FAU - Baumann, Michael H
AU  - Baumann MH
AD  - Medicinal Chemistry Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on 
      Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, 333 Cassell Drive, Suite 4500, 
      Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. mbaumann@mail.nih.gov
FAU - Partilla, John S
AU  - Partilla JS
FAU - Lehner, Kurt R
AU  - Lehner KR
LA  - eng
GR  - Z99 DA999999/ImNIH/Intramural NIH HHS/United States
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural
PT  - Review
DEP - 20121123
PL  - Netherlands
TA  - Eur J Pharmacol
JT  - European journal of pharmacology
JID - 1254354
RN  - 0 (Alkaloids)
RN  - 0 (Catecholamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins)
RN  - 0 (Central Nervous System Stimulants)
RN  - 0 (Psychotropic Drugs)
RN  - 540EI4406J (cathinone)
SB  - IM
MH  - *Alkaloids/adverse effects/pharmacology/toxicity
MH  - Animals
MH  - *Baths
MH  - Catecholamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins/metabolism
MH  - *Central Nervous System Stimulants/adverse effects/pharmacology/toxicity
MH  - Humans
MH  - *Psychotropic Drugs/adverse effects/pharmacology/toxicity
PMC - PMC3537229
MID - NIHMS429127
EDAT- 2012/11/28 06:00
MHDA- 2013/06/12 06:00
PMCR- 2014/01/05
CRDT- 2012/11/27 06:00
PHST- 2012/08/21 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2012/11/04 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2012/11/14 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2012/11/27 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2012/11/28 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2013/06/12 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2014/01/05 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - S0014-2999(12)00951-X [pii]
AID - 10.1016/j.ejphar.2012.11.020 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Eur J Pharmacol. 2013 Jan 5;698(1-3):1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2012.11.020. Epub 
      2012 Nov 23.