On the Mechanisms Underlying 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Toxicity: The Dilemma of the Chicken and the Egg | Zendy

Elena Puerta | Zendy; Isabel Hervías | Zendy; Norberto Aguirre | Zendy

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On the Mechanisms Underlying 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Toxicity: The Dilemma of the Chicken and the Egg

Author(s) -

Elena Puerta,

Isabel Hervías,

Norberto Aguirre

Publication year - 2009

Publication title -

neuropsychobiology

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 0.71

H-Index - 83

eISSN - 1423-0224

pISSN - 0302-282X

DOI - 10.1159/000253548

Subject(s) - mdma , serotonergic , neurotoxicity , ecstasy , dopamine , toxicity , pharmacology , serotonin , neuroscience , reactive oxygen species , chemistry , psychology , biology , biochemistry , psychiatry , organic chemistry , receptor

Administration of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) to various experimental animals has been shown to induce a selective damage to serotonergic axon terminals. While a great consensus appears to exist regarding the causative role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the mechanisms underlying MDMA toxicity, the source of free radicals is still a matter of debate. While some authors support dopamine metabolism/oxidation inside 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) terminals as the key factor responsible for ROS formation and final 5-HT terminal degeneration, others believe it is MDMA metabolism into pro-oxidant compounds. Although at first sight both hypotheses appear to contend with each other, it may not be the case. This mini-review was therefore undertaken to try to reconcile both hypotheses and to address the dilemma of the causality of MDMA neurotoxicity.

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