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Color Spot Test As a Presumptive Tool for the Rapid Detection of Synthetic Cathinones

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Published on: February 5, 2018

Ecstasy analogues found in cacti.

Jan G Bruhn¹, Hesham R El-Seedi, Nikolai Stephanson

¹Division of Pharmacognosy, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs

|August 30, 2008

Summary

Researchers discovered new, potentially psychoactive phenethylamines in peyote and San Pedro cacti. These findings expand our understanding of natural compounds and their relationship to designer drugs like Ecstasy.

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Area of Science:

Ethnobotany
Natural Product Chemistry
Pharmacology

Background:

Human use of psychoactive phenethylamines, like mescaline from cacti and synthetic designer drugs (e.g., Ecstasy), is well-documented.
The chemical diversity of cactus alkaloids suggests the potential for naturally occurring compounds with Ecstasy-like properties.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the alkaloid composition of Lophophora williamsii (peyote) and Trichocereus pachanoi (San Pedro) cacti.
To identify novel, potentially psychoactive phenethylamines within these species.
To explore the biosynthetic relationships between natural compounds and synthetic designer drugs.

Main Methods:

Alkaloid extraction and isolation from cactus samples.
Chemical analysis using chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques.
Comparative analysis with known phenethylamines and designer drugs.

Main Results:

Lophophine, homopiperonylamine, and lobivine were identified as new, minor constituents in both Lophophora williamsii and Trichocereus pachanoi.
This marks the first report of putatively psychoactive phenethylamines, beyond mescaline, in these specific cactus species.
The identified compounds represent novel natural analogues to synthetic designer drugs.

Conclusions:

The discovery of lophophine, homopiperonylamine, and lobivine expands the known repertoire of psychoactive phenethylamines in cacti.
Further research into these and other biosynthetic analogues may elucidate structure-activity relationships relevant to mescaline and designer drugs.
The classification of these novel natural compounds as "designer drugs" warrants further investigation.