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© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Background: Synthetic cathinones (SCs) are the second most representative class of New Psychoactive Substances, with more than 100 analogues identified in the illicit drug market up to 2024. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, N-ethylhexedrone (NEH) and N-ethyl-nor-pentedrone (NEP) were identified among the most frequently seized SCs worldwide. However, still, little is known with regard to their pharmacological effects in humans. Methods: For the first time, we conducted a naturalistic, prospective observational study in 16 participants (7 women and 9 men) with a previous history of psychostimulant recreational use. They intranasally self-administered a single dose of NEP (n = 8, 20–40 mg) or NEH (n = 8, 20–40 mg). The physiological effects (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature) and subjective effects (visual analogue scales, Addiction Research Center Inventory questionnaire and Evaluation of Subjective Effects of Substances with Abuse Potential questionnaire) were assessed up to 4 h after the self-administration at different time points (0, 20 and 40 min and 1, 1.5, 2, 3 and 4 h). Results: Despite several differences, both NEP and NEH produced significant effects within 20 min, with a return to baseline 3–4 h after self-administration. In general, NEP showed a faster onset and a more rapid disappearance of subjective effects than NEH. Moreover, intranasal self-administration of NEH and NEP in experienced recreational drug users, within a non-controlled setting, induces a constellation of psychostimulant-like effects. Conclusion: NEH and NEP showed similar pharmacological properties after insufflation, with typical effects of SCs

Details

Title
Acute Pharmacological Effects of Two Synthetic Cathinones in Humans: An Observational Study of N-Ethylhexedrone and N-Ethyl-nor-pentedrone
Author
Núñez-Montero Melani 1 ; Pérez-Mañá, Clara 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Hladun Olga 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Poyatos Lourdes 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Caicedo, Dolly Andrea 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; De la Rosa Georgina 2 ; Argote, Martha Catalina 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Martín Soraya 3 ; Ventura Mireia 4 ; Maida, Nunzia La 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Di Trana Annagiulia 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Graziano, Silvia 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Pichini Simona 5 ; Farré Magì 6   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Papaseit Esther 6 

 National Center on Addiction and Doping, National Institute of Health, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; [email protected] (M.N.-M.); [email protected] (N.L.M.); [email protected] (A.D.T.); [email protected] (S.G.); [email protected] (M.F.); [email protected] (E.P.), Clinical Pharmacology Department, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias I Pujol (HUGTP-IGTP), Carretera de Canyet s/n, 08916 Badalona, Spain; [email protected] (C.P.-M.); [email protected] (O.H.); [email protected] (L.P.); [email protected] (D.A.C.); [email protected] (G.D.l.R.); [email protected] (M.C.A.); [email protected] (S.M.), Department of Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Toxicology, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain 
 Clinical Pharmacology Department, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias I Pujol (HUGTP-IGTP), Carretera de Canyet s/n, 08916 Badalona, Spain; [email protected] (C.P.-M.); [email protected] (O.H.); [email protected] (L.P.); [email protected] (D.A.C.); [email protected] (G.D.l.R.); [email protected] (M.C.A.); [email protected] (S.M.), Department of Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Toxicology, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain 
 Clinical Pharmacology Department, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias I Pujol (HUGTP-IGTP), Carretera de Canyet s/n, 08916 Badalona, Spain; [email protected] (C.P.-M.); [email protected] (O.H.); [email protected] (L.P.); [email protected] (D.A.C.); [email protected] (G.D.l.R.); [email protected] (M.C.A.); [email protected] (S.M.) 
 Energy Control, Associació Benestar i Desenvolupament, 08041 Barcelona, Spain; [email protected] 
 National Center on Addiction and Doping, National Institute of Health, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; [email protected] (M.N.-M.); [email protected] (N.L.M.); [email protected] (A.D.T.); [email protected] (S.G.); [email protected] (M.F.); [email protected] (E.P.) 
 National Center on Addiction and Doping, National Institute of Health, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy; [email protected] (M.N.-M.); [email protected] (N.L.M.); [email protected] (A.D.T.); [email protected] (S.G.); [email protected] (M.F.); [email protected] (E.P.), Clinical Pharmacology Department, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias I Pujol (HUGTP-IGTP), Carretera de Canyet s/n, 08916 Badalona, Spain; [email protected] (C.P.-M.); [email protected] (O.H.); [email protected] (L.P.); [email protected] (D.A.C.); [email protected] (G.D.l.R.); [email protected] (M.C.A.); [email protected] (S.M.) 
First page
721
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
14248247
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3212089846
Copyright
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.