Amphetamines like speed, ice, and ecstasy are widely abused for their euphoric and stimulant effects. While animal studies show strong evidence that MDMA causes chronic neurotoxicity, the physiological consequences in humans remain unclear. Differences in metabolism and pharmacokinetics between species and animal strains make it difficult to design realistic human dose paradigms in animal research. This review examines amphetamine toxicity, especially MDMA toxicity, in the context of human disease, setting aside confounding factors such as polydrug use and drug purity.
Illegal ecstasy tablets often contain compounds similar to MDMA whose effects are unknown. This study measured how well eight such compounds block the noradrenaline and serotonin transporters, key targets of MDMA in the brain. 2,3-MDMA was less potent than MDMA at the serotonin transporter but equally potent at the noradrenaline transporter. 2CB and BDB were less potent at the noradrenaline transporter but equally potent at the serotonin transporter. MBDB, DMMA, MDOH, and MDMA metabolites HMA and HMMA were all less potent than MDMA at both transporters. These results clarify how chemical structure affects the activity of MDMA-like compounds.