On the mechanisms underlying 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine toxicity: the dilemma of the chicken and the egg. Neuropsychobiology [Neuropsychobiology] Journal article | | Title | On the mechanisms underlying 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine toxicity: the dilemma of the chicken and the egg. | | Author(s) | Puerta E, Hervias I, Aguirre N | | Institution | Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Navarra, ES-31008 Pamplona, Spain. | | Source | Neuropsychobiology 2009; 60(3-4):119-29. | | Abstract | 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. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
| | PubMed ID | 19893329 |
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