Synthetic Cathinones: A Brief Overview of Overviews with Applications to the Forensic Sciences

Catha edulis, the fresh leaves of which (i.e., khat) are used for their central stimulant actions, has been known for many hundreds of years. S(-)Cathinone was identified as a centrally-active khat constituents >30 years ago. Although khat use was a problem long localized to certain Middle Eastern and certain Eastern African nations, 'synthetic cathinones' (synthetic analogs of cathinone) represent a "new" class of abused substances with growing worldwide appeal. To date, about 150 synthetic cathinones have been identified on the clandestine market, and only a dozen or so have been controlled (U.S. Schedule I). Because these agents do not represent a pharmacologically (i.e., behavioral) or mechanistically homogeneous class of agents, synthetic cathinones are being investigated one agent at a time to understand their actions, mechanisms of action, metabolism, toxicity, and abuse potential - the latter to identify possible modes of overdose treatment and for Scheduling purposes. The available agents might represent only the 'tip of the iceberg'; the potential for many more new synthetic cathinones is very real. Investigation of these agents on an agent-by-agent basis is a daunting task. Attempts are being made to understand these agents as a class, by examination of their structure-activity relationships. Here, we provide an overview of review articles that attempts to shed light on these agents as a class, rather than on an agent-by-agent basis. This article is meant to be a reference resource that might expedite the work of those in this field by directing them to where they can find useful information.