Characterization of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) EnantiomersIn Vitroand in the MPTP-Lesioned Primate:R-MDMA Reduces Severity of Dyskinesia, WhereasS-MDMA Extends Duration of ON-Time
Journal of Neuroscience May 11, 2011 Philippe Huot, Tom H. Johnston, Katie D. Lewis et al. 83 citations
The drug MDMA, composed of two mirror-image forms (enantiomers), shows promise for treating Parkinson's disease motor complications. R-MDMA reduced peak-dose dyskinesia severity by 33% at 3 mg/kg and 46% at 10 mg/kg, and cut the duration of disabling dyskinesia by 69% (90 minutes) without changing total ON-time. S-MDMA at 1 mg/kg extended total ON-time by 34% (88 minutes) but worsened dyskinesia. The findings suggest that racemic MDMA's simultaneous antidyskinetic and ON-time-extending effects arise from R-MDMA's action on 5-HT2A receptors and S-MDMA's inhibition of serotonin and dopamine transporters.