Recently abused synthetic cathinones, a-pyrrolidinophenone derivatives: a review of their pharmacology, acute toxicity, and metabolism

摘要

The aim of this review is to present the chemical aspects, pharmacology, acute toxicities, and metabolisms of a-pyrrolidinophenone derivatives, a new group of synthetic cathinones. Compared to other synthetic cathinones, a-pyrrolidinophenone derivatives have high lipophilicity due to the pyrrolidine ring substitution at the nitrogen atom, resulting in higher blood-brain barrier permeability. To date, some acute intoxication and fatal cases involving a-pyrrolidinophenone derivatives have been reported, and the symptoms induced by their high dosages are due to central nervous system and cardiovascular toxicities. Based on the previous metabolism studies, reduction of the beta-ketone moiety to the corresponding alcohol metabolites and oxidation to the 2"-oxo metabolites are the main metabolic pathways observed among a-pyrrolidinophenone derivatives. In addition to such pathways, specific metabolic pathways like hydroxylation followed by oxidation of the 4' -methyl group, O-demethylation of the 4'-methoxyl group, and demethyle-nation followed by 0-methylation of the 3',4'-methylene-dioxy group can be observed for the corresponding ring-substituted compounds.