Comparative untargeted metabolomics analysis of the psychostimulants 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), amphetamine, and the novel psychoactive substance mephedrone after controlled drug administration to humans

Andrea E. Steuer*, Daria Kaelin, Martina I. Boxler, Lisa Eisenbeiss, Friederike Holze, Patrick Vizeli, Joanna Czerwinska, Paul I. Dargan, Vincenzo Abbate, Matthias E. Liechti, Thomas Kraemer

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

21 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Psychoactive stimulants are a popular drug class which are used recreationally. Over the last decade, large numbers of new psychoactive substances (NPS) have entered the drug market and these pose a worldwide problem to human health. Metabolomics approaches are useful tools for simultaneous detection of endogenous metabolites affected by drug use. They allow identification of pathways or characteristic metabolites, which might support the understanding of pharmacological actions or act as indirect biomarkers of consumption behavior or analytical detectability. Herein, we performed a comparative metabolic profiling of three psychoactive stimulant drugs 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), amphetamine and the NPS mephedrone by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) in order to identify common pathways or compounds. Plasma samples were obtained from controlled administration studies to humans. Various metabolites were identified as increased or decreased based on drug intake, mainly belonging to energy metabolism, steroid biosynthesis and amino acids. Linoleic acid and pregnenolone-sulfate changed similarly in response to intake of all drugs. Overall, mephedrone produced a profile more similar to that of amphetamine than MDMA in terms of affected energy metabolism. These data can provide the basis for further in-depth targeted metabolome studies on pharmacological actions and search for biomarkers of drug use.

Original languageEnglish
Article number0306
Pages (from-to)1-20
Number of pages20
JournalMetabolites
Volume10
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2020

Keywords

  • Amphetamine
  • LC-HRMS
  • MDMA
  • Mephedrone
  • Psychoactive stimulants
  • Untargeted metabolomics

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Comparative untargeted metabolomics analysis of the psychostimulants 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), amphetamine, and the novel psychoactive substance mephedrone after controlled drug administration to humans'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this