Substituted amphetamine | |
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Drug class | |
Class identifiers | |
Synonyms | Amphetamines; α-Methylphenethylamines; α-Methylphenylethylamines; Phenylisopropylamines |
Chemical class | Substituted derivatives of amphetamine |
Legal status | |
In Wikidata |
L-amphetamine | D-amphetamine |
Substituted amphetamines, or simply amphetamines, are a class of compounds based upon the amphetamine structure;[1] it includes all derivative compounds which are formed by replacing, or substituting, one or more hydrogen atoms in the amphetamine core structure with substituents.[1][2][3][4] The compounds in this class span a variety of pharmacological subclasses, including stimulants, empathogens, and hallucinogens, among others.[2] Examples of substituted amphetamines are amphetamine (itself),[1][2] methamphetamine,[1] ephedrine,[1] cathinone,[1] phentermine,[1] mephentermine,[1] tranylcypromine,[5] bupropion,[1] methoxyphenamine,[1] selegiline,[1] amfepramone (diethylpropion),[1] pyrovalerone,[1] MDMA (ecstasy), and DOM (STP).
Some of amphetamine's substituted derivatives occur in nature, for example in the leaves of Ephedra and khat plants.[1] Amphetamine was first produced at the end of the 19th century. By the 1930s, amphetamine and some of its derivative compounds found use as decongestants in the symptomatic treatment of colds and also occasionally as psychoactive agents. Their effects on the central nervous system are diverse, but can be summarized by three overlapping types of activity: psychoanaleptic, hallucinogenic and empathogenic. Various substituted amphetamines may cause these actions either separately or in combination.
Substituted amphetamines, which are also called phenylpropylamino alkaloids, are a diverse group of nitrogen-containing compounds that feature a phenethylamine backbone with a methyl group at the α-position relative to the nitrogen (Figure 1). Countless variation in functional group substitutions has yielded a collection of synthetic drugs with diverse pharmacological properties as stimulants, empathogens and hallucinogens [3]. ... Beyond (1R,2S)-ephedrine and (1S,2S)-pseudoephedrine, myriad other substituted amphetamines have important pharmaceutical applications. The stereochemistry at the α-carbon is often a key determinant of pharmacological activity, with (S)-enantiomers being more potent. For example, (S)-amphetamine, commonly known as d-amphetamine or dextroamphetamine, displays five times greater psychostimulant activity compared with its (R)-isomer [78]. Most such molecules are produced exclusively through chemical syntheses and many are prescribed widely in modern medicine. For example, (S)-amphetamine (Figure 4b), a key ingredient in Adderall and Dexedrine, is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) [79]. ...
[Figure 4](b) Examples of synthetic, pharmaceutically important substituted amphetamines.
The simplest unsubstituted phenylisopropylamine, 1-phenyl-2-aminopropane, or amphetamine, serves as a common structural template for hallucinogens and psychostimulants. Amphetamine produces central stimulant, anorectic, and sympathomimetic actions, and it is the prototype member of this class (39).