Khat and synthetic cathinones: a review

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Valente, Maria João
Data de Publicação: 2013
Outros Autores: Guedes de Pinho, Paula, de Lourdes Bastos, Maria, Carvalho, Félix, Carvalho, Márcia
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: eng
Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10284/9985
Resumo: For centuries, 'khat sessions' have played a key role in the social and cultural traditions among several communities around Saudi Arabia and most East African countries. The identification of cathinone as the main psychoactive compound of khat leaves, exhibiting amphetamine-like pharmacological properties, resulted in the synthesis of several derivatives structurally similar to this so-called natural amphetamine. Synthetic cathinones were primarily developed for therapeutic purposes, but promptly started being misused and extensively abused for their euphoric effects. In the mid-2000's, synthetic cathinones emerged in the recreational drug markets as legal alternatives ('legal highs') to amphetamine, 'ecstasy', or cocaine. Currently, they are sold as 'bath salts' or 'plant food', under ambiguous labels lacking information about their true contents. Cathinone derivatives are conveniently available online or at 'smartshops' and are much more affordable than the traditional illicit drugs. Despite the scarcity of scientific data on these 'legal highs', synthetic cathinones use became an increasingly popular practice worldwide. Additionally, criminalization of these derivatives is often useless since for each specific substance that gets legally controlled, one or more structurally modified analogs are introduced into the legal market. Chemically, these substances are structurally related to amphetamine. For this reason, cathinone derivatives share with this drug both central nervous system stimulating and sympathomimetic features. Reports of intoxication and deaths related to the use of 'bath salts' have been frequently described over the last years, and several attempts to apply a legislative control on synthetic cathinones have been made. However, further research on their pharmacological and toxicological properties is fully required in order to access the actual potential harm of synthetic cathinones to general public health. The present work provides a review on khat and synthetic cathinones, concerning their historical background, prevalence, patterns of use, legal status, chemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and their physiological and toxicological effects on animals and humans.
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spelling Khat and synthetic cathinones: a reviewKhatSynthetic cathinonesBath saltsPharmacokineticsPharmacodynamicsToxicityFor centuries, 'khat sessions' have played a key role in the social and cultural traditions among several communities around Saudi Arabia and most East African countries. The identification of cathinone as the main psychoactive compound of khat leaves, exhibiting amphetamine-like pharmacological properties, resulted in the synthesis of several derivatives structurally similar to this so-called natural amphetamine. Synthetic cathinones were primarily developed for therapeutic purposes, but promptly started being misused and extensively abused for their euphoric effects. In the mid-2000's, synthetic cathinones emerged in the recreational drug markets as legal alternatives ('legal highs') to amphetamine, 'ecstasy', or cocaine. Currently, they are sold as 'bath salts' or 'plant food', under ambiguous labels lacking information about their true contents. Cathinone derivatives are conveniently available online or at 'smartshops' and are much more affordable than the traditional illicit drugs. Despite the scarcity of scientific data on these 'legal highs', synthetic cathinones use became an increasingly popular practice worldwide. Additionally, criminalization of these derivatives is often useless since for each specific substance that gets legally controlled, one or more structurally modified analogs are introduced into the legal market. Chemically, these substances are structurally related to amphetamine. For this reason, cathinone derivatives share with this drug both central nervous system stimulating and sympathomimetic features. Reports of intoxication and deaths related to the use of 'bath salts' have been frequently described over the last years, and several attempts to apply a legislative control on synthetic cathinones have been made. However, further research on their pharmacological and toxicological properties is fully required in order to access the actual potential harm of synthetic cathinones to general public health. The present work provides a review on khat and synthetic cathinones, concerning their historical background, prevalence, patterns of use, legal status, chemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and their physiological and toxicological effects on animals and humans.SpringerRepositório Institucional da Universidade Fernando PessoaValente, Maria JoãoGuedes de Pinho, Paulade Lourdes Bastos, MariaCarvalho, FélixCarvalho, Márcia2021-06-30T13:45:55Z2013-01-01T00:00:00Z2013-01-01T00:00:00Zinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10284/9985eng0340-576110.1007/s00204-013-1163-91432-0738metadata only accessinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessreponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAP2022-09-06T02:09:17Zoai:bdigital.ufp.pt:10284/9985Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-19T15:46:45.922769Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Khat and synthetic cathinones: a review
title Khat and synthetic cathinones: a review
spellingShingle Khat and synthetic cathinones: a review
Valente, Maria João
Khat
Synthetic cathinones
Bath salts
Pharmacokinetics
Pharmacodynamics
Toxicity
title_short Khat and synthetic cathinones: a review
title_full Khat and synthetic cathinones: a review
title_fullStr Khat and synthetic cathinones: a review
title_full_unstemmed Khat and synthetic cathinones: a review
title_sort Khat and synthetic cathinones: a review
author Valente, Maria João
author_facet Valente, Maria João
Guedes de Pinho, Paula
de Lourdes Bastos, Maria
Carvalho, Félix
Carvalho, Márcia
author_role author
author2 Guedes de Pinho, Paula
de Lourdes Bastos, Maria
Carvalho, Félix
Carvalho, Márcia
author2_role author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Repositório Institucional da Universidade Fernando Pessoa
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Valente, Maria João
Guedes de Pinho, Paula
de Lourdes Bastos, Maria
Carvalho, Félix
Carvalho, Márcia
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv Khat
Synthetic cathinones
Bath salts
Pharmacokinetics
Pharmacodynamics
Toxicity
topic Khat
Synthetic cathinones
Bath salts
Pharmacokinetics
Pharmacodynamics
Toxicity
description For centuries, 'khat sessions' have played a key role in the social and cultural traditions among several communities around Saudi Arabia and most East African countries. The identification of cathinone as the main psychoactive compound of khat leaves, exhibiting amphetamine-like pharmacological properties, resulted in the synthesis of several derivatives structurally similar to this so-called natural amphetamine. Synthetic cathinones were primarily developed for therapeutic purposes, but promptly started being misused and extensively abused for their euphoric effects. In the mid-2000's, synthetic cathinones emerged in the recreational drug markets as legal alternatives ('legal highs') to amphetamine, 'ecstasy', or cocaine. Currently, they are sold as 'bath salts' or 'plant food', under ambiguous labels lacking information about their true contents. Cathinone derivatives are conveniently available online or at 'smartshops' and are much more affordable than the traditional illicit drugs. Despite the scarcity of scientific data on these 'legal highs', synthetic cathinones use became an increasingly popular practice worldwide. Additionally, criminalization of these derivatives is often useless since for each specific substance that gets legally controlled, one or more structurally modified analogs are introduced into the legal market. Chemically, these substances are structurally related to amphetamine. For this reason, cathinone derivatives share with this drug both central nervous system stimulating and sympathomimetic features. Reports of intoxication and deaths related to the use of 'bath salts' have been frequently described over the last years, and several attempts to apply a legislative control on synthetic cathinones have been made. However, further research on their pharmacological and toxicological properties is fully required in order to access the actual potential harm of synthetic cathinones to general public health. The present work provides a review on khat and synthetic cathinones, concerning their historical background, prevalence, patterns of use, legal status, chemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and their physiological and toxicological effects on animals and humans.
publishDate 2013
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z
2013-01-01T00:00:00Z
2021-06-30T13:45:55Z
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10.1007/s00204-013-1163-9
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