alpha-Ethyltryptamine

α-Ethyltryptamine
Systematic (IUPAC) name
1-(1H-indol-3-yl)butan-2-amine
Clinical data
Pregnancy cat.  ?
Legal status Schedule I (US)
Identifiers
CAS number 2235-90-7 Y 118-68-3
ATC code None
PubChem CID 8367
DrugBank DB01546
ChemSpider 8064 Y
Synonyms 3-(2-aminobutyl)indole
Chemical data
Formula C12H16N2 
Mol. mass 188.27 g/mol
SMILES eMolecules & PubChem
Physical data
Melt. point 222–223 °C (432–433 °F)
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α-ethyltryptamine (αET, AET, "Monase"), also known as etryptamine, is a psychedelic, stimulant and entactogen of the tryptamine chemical class.

Contents

History

Originally believed to exert its effects predominantly via monoamine oxidase inhibition, alpha-ethyltryptamine was developed during the 1960s as an antidepressant by Upjohn chemical company[1] in the United States under the name "Monase" but was withdrawn from potential commercial use due to an unacceptable incidence of agranulocytosis.[2]

αET gained limited recreational popularity as a designer drug in the 1980s. Subsequently, in the USA it was added to the Schedule I list of illegal substances in 1993.

Pharmacology

αET is structurally and pharmacologically related to α-methyltryptamine (αMT), but its effects are slightly different. In contrast to αMT, αET is less stimulating and hallucinogenic, its effects resembling more those of entactogens like MDMA ("Ecstasy").

Similarly to MDMA, αET has been demonstrated to be a releasing agent of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine (with serotonin being the primary neurotransmitter affected); in addition, it acts as a non-selective serotonin receptor agonist. Scientific research has shown that alpha-ethyltryptamine is a serotonergic neurotoxin.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ US Patent 3296072 - Method of Treating Mental Depression
  2. ^ α-ET TiHKAL entry • Erowid.
  3. ^ Huang XM, Johnson MP, Nichols DE (July 1991). "Reduction in brain serotonin markers by alpha-ethyltryptamine (Monase)". European Journal of Pharmacology 200 (1): 187–190. doi:10.1016/0014-2999(91)90686-K. PMID 1722753. 

External links