Balancing Therapeutic Efficacy and Safety of MDMA and Novel MDXX Analogues as Novel Treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.) September 1, 2023 Harpreet Kaur, Sedat Karabulut, James W Gauld et al. 10 citations
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) involves social communication deficits and repetitive behaviors, with no approved drugs for its core symptoms. Existing medications like aripiprazole and risperidone treat irritability but can cause side effects such as weight gain and sedation. Drugs with pro-social effects, including MDMA and its analogue MBDB, may help address social anxiety and avoidance in ASD. This review examines the pharmacology of methylenedioxy amphetamine analogues (MDXX drugs), focusing on their binding sites, metabolism, and structure-activity relationships. It emphasizes how individual stereoisomers and their racemic mixtures shape drug effects. The authors propose that MDXX compounds offer a promising chemical space for developing safer, more effective treatments for ASD.