Poyatos, LourdesPérez Mañá, ClaraHladun, OlgaNúñez-Montero, Melanide la Rosa, GeorginaMartín, SorayaBarriocanal, Ana MariaCarabias, LydiaKelmendi, BenjaminTaoussi, OmayemaBusardò, Francesco PaoloFonseca Casals, FrancinaTorrens, MartaPichini, SimonaFarré, MagíPapaseit, Esther2023-06-202023-06-202023Poyatos L, Pérez-Mañá C, Hladun O, Núñez-Montero M, de la Rosa G, Martín S, et al. Pharmacological effects of methylone and MDMA in humans. Front Pharmacol. 2023 Feb 17;14:1122861. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.11228611663-9812http://hdl.handle.net/10230/57241Methylone is one of the most common synthetic cathinones popularized as a substitute for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, midomafetamine) owing to its similar effects among users. Both psychostimulants exhibit similar chemistry (i.e., methylone is a β-keto analog of MDMA) and mechanisms of action. Currently, the pharmacology of methylone remains scarcely explored in humans. Herein, we aimed to evaluate the acute pharmacological effects of methylone and its abuse potential in humans when compared with that of MDMA following oral administration under controlled conditions. Seventeen participants of both sexes (14 males, 3 females) with a previous history of psychostimulant use completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical trial. Participants received a single oral dose of 200 mg of methylone, 100 mg of MDMA, and a placebo. The variables included physiological effects (blood pressure, heart rate, oral temperature, pupil diameter), subjective effects using visual analog scales (VAS), the short form of the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI), the Evaluation of Subjective Effects of Substances with Abuse Potential questionnaire (VESSPA-SSE), and the Sensitivity to Drug Reinforcement Questionnaire (SDRQ), and psychomotor performance (Maddox wing, psychomotor vigilance task). We observed that methylone could significantly increase blood pressure and heart rate and induce pleasurable effects, such as stimulation, euphoria, wellbeing, enhanced empathy, and altered perception. Methylone exhibited an effect profile similar to MDMA, with a faster overall onset and earlier disappearance of subjective effects. These results suggest that abuse potential of methylone is comparable to that of MDMA in humans.application/pdfeng© 2023 Poyatos, Pérez-Mañá, Hladun, Núñez-Montero, de la Rosa, Martín, Barriocanal, Carabias, Kelmendi, Taoussi, Busardò, Fonseca, Torrens, Pichini, Farré and Papaseit. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Pharmacological effects of methylone and MDMA in humansinfo:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1122861Methylone3,4-methylenedioxymethcathinoneMDMA3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamineNew psychoactive substancesSynthetic cathinonesBath saltsPsychostimulantsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess