MDMA toxicity: no evidence for a major influence of metabolic genotype at CYP2D6
Addiction Biology July 1, 1998 Alan O'Donohoe, Karen O’flynn, Kevin Shields et al. 29 citations
MDMA (ecstasy) is metabolized by the cytochrome P450 enzyme debrisoquine hydroxylase, coded by the CYP2D6 gene. Between 3 and 10% of the Caucasian population carry mutations that make them poor metabolizers, potentially increasing their risk of adverse reactions. This study examined seven individuals who had severe toxicity or died from MDMA. None were homozygous for the CYP2D6 mutation. The authors suggest three explanations: non-dose-related toxicity may stem from contaminants or environmental factors; the genotyping may have missed rare mutations; or the sample was too small to detect a statistically significant effect.