After injection into the abdominal cavity, 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine and N,N-dimethyltryptamine are rapidly taken up by and cleared from all tissues examined. Live-animal experiments confirm earlier lab findings that these compounds are metabolized through oxidative deamination, N-demethylation, O-demethylation, and N-oxidation. Analysis of metabolic profiles across tissues identified N-oxides as major metabolites. Pretreating animals with iproniazid successfully inhibited and redirected metabolism away from indole acids toward the parent compounds and their structurally unique metabolites.
A new method combining liquid chromatography with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry provides unequivocal verification of structurally characteristic metabolites of the psychotomimetic indolealkylamines N,N-dimethyltryptamine and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine. Previously, metabolite identity was confirmed using multiple analytical techniques including multidimensional liquid chromatography and stop-flow spectroscopic analysis. The described approach enables separation, characterization, and quantitation of metabolites formed both in vitro and in vivo.