Hallucinogen-Like Action of the Novel Designer Drug 25I-NBOMe and Its Effect on Cortical Neurotransmitters in Rats
Neurotoxicity Research April 15, 2019 Monika Herian, Adam Wojtas, Katarzyna Kamińska et al. 44 citations
25I-NBOMe, a synthetic hallucinogen related to the 2C family, increases extracellular levels of dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate in the rat frontal cortex, as measured by microdialysis in freely moving animals. It also raises tissue content of serotonin and its metabolite 5-HIAA but does not affect tissue dopamine or its metabolites. The drug elicits head-twitch response in rats, a behavioral marker of hallucinogenic effect in humans. Dose-response curves were inverted U-shaped for dopamine and serotonin release, but U-shaped for glutamate release and head-twitch response. The findings suggest that the hallucinogenic activity of 25I-NBOMe is linked to increased extracellular glutamate mediated by cortical 5-HT2A receptors, with modulation by 5-HT2C and 5-HT1A receptors.