thestudent14
Bluelighter
Can someone remind me why this beautiful chemical is illegal?
MDMA, the drug that just keeps on giving.
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AADD Moderators: Tronica
Ecstasy 'could be used in cancer treatment'
- Thread starter thestudent14
- Start date
MDMA, the drug that just keeps on giving.
saboteur
Greenlighter
Possibly creating safe version's of MDMA. So would that mean currently MDMA is unsafe because of it neurotoxic effects over time? If they create a safer version wouldn't that in some way eliminate the magic?
poledriver
Bluelighter
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Last edited:
poledriver
Bluelighter
- Joined
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Thanks JoshE
pinkanga
Bluelighter
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I really just wish we had a more open society in general. Maybe it might be beneficial to give patients small amounts of mdma just for the euphoric properties. I guess the come-downs could be a bitch, lying there in a hospital bed. But surely they could be administered benzos or whatever to ease the process and assist in the assimilation of everything they felt while on the mdma.
Might even be beneficial in removing any psychological bullshit that might be impeding their physical recovery. (if you believe in that sort of stuff
)
Might even be beneficial in removing any psychological bullshit that might be impeding their physical recovery. (if you believe in that sort of stuff
)
Mr Blonde
Bluelighter
saboteur said:
I think by safer, they were referring to the fact that the large doses of MDMA needed to causes these benefits would kill the patient. They mention this in the article; it sounds as though they have made a more potent version of MDMA, or one that is more potent in the suppression of white blood cell cancers.
thestudent14
Bluelighter
Might even be beneficial in removing any psychological bullshit that might be impeding their physical recovery. (if you believe in that sort of stuff
I actually wouldn't be that suprised, considerring MDMA's amazing ability when coming to dealing with Post Traumatic Stress, it has had more success then any other drug (85% success rate IF I remember correctly).
I wouldn't be suprised if MDMA could help with dealing all sorts of psychological battles that you may face when dealing with an often terminal illness or disease.
I'd think so, I can see no correlation between the "magic" and cancer eliminating properties, but I would have to read more on it when more information is available to be certain.
Also they would be trying to get rid of the euphoric properties of MDMA for medical trials I imagine, because they would be considerred side affects rather the aim of killing cancer with no side affects (which I do agree with, even though being prescribed pharmecutical MDMA would be nothing short of a blessing) I am curious however of how they intend to extract certain properties of MDMA, would it just create new RC's with different affects? My bio-chem isn't as upto scratch as I wish it was =(
yeh obviously they would be first and foremost making an analogue that has as much if not stronger in targeting cancerous cells at far lower doses than MDMA, and then whatever euphoria is present is present while also being pretty non neurotoxic. I agree euphoria would be seen as a side effect type thing but it certainly would not be eliminated as a useful drug just because of that I don't think, hell look at opiate euphoria and their genuine medical application. If there aren't really any other drugs that can do the job they wouldn't deny it because of that side effect I would not think, particularly a newly synthesized compound.
Mr Blonde
Bluelighter
^ Perhaps create an analogue that is more potent but unable to cross the Blood-Brain-Barrier. Seeing as they are targeting white blood cells, perhaps they could make the drug less lipid-soluble and increase molecule size so that it can still cross most cell membranes and get into the blood, but be too large to pass the tight endothelial junctions of the BBB. Perhaps also add moieties that will allow the substance to specifically target white blood cells once in the blood rather then be distributed throughout the entire body.
Interesting stuff.
Interesting stuff.
but be too large to pass the tight endothelial junctions of the BBB. Perhaps also add moieties
Interesting stuff.
read my mind mate 8(8(8(
not 8) lol
^ Perhaps create an analogue that is more potent but unable to cross the Blood-Brain-Barrier. Seeing as they are targeting white blood cells, perhaps they could make the drug less lipid-soluble and increase molecule size so that it can still cross most cell membranes and get into the blood, but be too large to pass the tight endothelial junctions of the BBB. Perhaps also add moieties that will allow the substance to specifically target white blood cells once in the blood rather then be distributed throughout the entire body.
Interesting stuff.
There's your answer everyone haha. Sounds like an amazing idea, lets hope they make some progress!
Sameria
Bluelighter
Only skimmed the thread, so forgive me if this is mentioned already. MDMA would also be extremely helpful for terminally ill pateints on their deathbeds (as well as their families, but i doubt that would be supported anytime soon).
Interesting that MDMA actually has such a direct biological on cancer cells. Never heard of it before. Learn something new every day hey
Tis a fucked up world we live in. 1 step forward and 2.15 back 8) If ya don't like it then get out there and start doing something about it
Interesting that MDMA actually has such a direct biological on cancer cells. Never heard of it before. Learn something new every day hey
Tis a fucked up world we live in. 1 step forward and 2.15 back 8) If ya don't like it then get out there and start doing something about it
Mr Blonde
Bluelighter
^ Yes it is amazing isn't it, that this drug which so many consider beautiful yet is banned by our governments is now being shown to be able to help suppress white blood cell cancers.
phase_dancer
Bluelight Crew
The wording of the article is somewhat misleading. Of course, they won't allow MDMA to be used as a cancer treatment, and any drug derived from it will most likely be a completely different drug to MDMA, in terms of both its structure and it's euphoric effects. Some analogues are already showing promise in other areas of medicine. UWA0101 is an analogue of MDMA, where the alpha methyl group is replaced with a cyclopropyl moiety. It was mentioned here a few months ago in regards to alleviating the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Back on topic, in briefly looking at some of the research done by Gorden et al and others in this field, it seems that considerable attention has been given to derivatives of 4-MTA, or flatliner as it was once known. The second paper below compares the cancer cell SERT binding/ apoptosis inducing properties of a range of bis-benzyl derivatives with 3,4 MD and para substitutions (e.g. Cl, MeO, MeS etc). Their findings indicate the 2-nitro-1-propenes may be the best at inducing apoptosis in Burkitt’s lymphoma derived cell lines.
Synthesis and serotonin transporter activity of sulphur-substituted a-alkyl
phenethylamines as a new class of anticancer agents
Suzanne M. Cloonan, John J. Keating, Stephen G. Butler, Andrew J.S. Knox,
Anne M. Jørgensen, Gunther H. Peters, Dilip Rai, Desmond Corrigan,
David G. Lloyd, D. Clive Williams, Mary J. Meegan.
Bioorg Med Chem. 2011 Feb 1;19(3):1328-48. Epub 2010 Dec 7.
Synthesis and serotonin transporter activity of 1,3-bis(aryl)-2-nitro-1-propenes as a new class of anticancer agents.
McNamara YM, Cloonan SM, Knox AJ, Keating JJ, Butler SG, Peters GH, Meegan MJ, Williams DC.
Back on topic, in briefly looking at some of the research done by Gorden et al and others in this field, it seems that considerable attention has been given to derivatives of 4-MTA, or flatliner as it was once known. The second paper below compares the cancer cell SERT binding/ apoptosis inducing properties of a range of bis-benzyl derivatives with 3,4 MD and para substitutions (e.g. Cl, MeO, MeS etc). Their findings indicate the 2-nitro-1-propenes may be the best at inducing apoptosis in Burkitt’s lymphoma derived cell lines.
Synthesis and serotonin transporter activity of sulphur-substituted a-alkyl
phenethylamines as a new class of anticancer agents
Suzanne M. Cloonan, John J. Keating, Stephen G. Butler, Andrew J.S. Knox,
Anne M. Jørgensen, Gunther H. Peters, Dilip Rai, Desmond Corrigan,
David G. Lloyd, D. Clive Williams, Mary J. Meegan.
Bioorg Med Chem. 2011 Feb 1;19(3):1328-48. Epub 2010 Dec 7.
Synthesis and serotonin transporter activity of 1,3-bis(aryl)-2-nitro-1-propenes as a new class of anticancer agents.
McNamara YM, Cloonan SM, Knox AJ, Keating JJ, Butler SG, Peters GH, Meegan MJ, Williams DC.
phase_dancer
Bluelight Crew
There's also this from the Advanced DD thread
Alpha-chain modified MDMA homologues show promise as treatments for cancer
Like UWA0101, these drugs also have alpha methyl substituted groups, and as such more closely resemble MDMA than the above mentioned analogues, however all are likely to be devoid of the euphoria associated with MDMA.
Alpha-chain modified MDMA homologues show promise as treatments for cancer
Like UWA0101, these drugs also have alpha methyl substituted groups, and as such more closely resemble MDMA than the above mentioned analogues, however all are likely to be devoid of the euphoria associated with MDMA.
Mr Blonde
Bluelighter
Thanks for all the info, p_d! This is very interesting research, I might even buy access to some of these papers/articles.
poledriver
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2005
- Messages
- 11,543
Modified Ecstasy used in blood cancer study
Modified Ecstasy used in blood cancer study
here
Modified Ecstasy used in blood cancer study
“Ecstasy could be used to cure cancer after scientists modified the drug to increase its tumour-killing properties,” reported The Daily Telegraph. It said that the drug was modified to increase its tumour-killing properties and that it could be used in the treatment of blood cancers – leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
This is early research into the use of a modified form of MDMA (ecstasy). Researchers added different molecular groups to MDMA to find new, related molecules that were more effective against certain types of B-cell lymphoma cells in the laboratory.
The research did not examine ecstasy (MDMA) in its recreational drug form, nor did it test the effects of these new chemicals on any animals or humans. Though this study raises possibilities, much further research is needed, including testing in animals, before it is known whether a modified form of MDMA could treat cancer in humans. As highlighted by Dr Julie Sharp of Cancer Research UK in The Telegraph, “MDMA is a dangerous drug, the researchers need also to find out if they can create safe versions to treat people with the disease”.
Ecstasy, or MDMA, remains an illegal and dangerous drug that can have highly unpredictable and occasionally fatal effects.
Where did the story come from?
The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Birmingham and The University of Western Australia. The research received funding from various sources, including Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, UK, and the Ada Bartholomew Medical Research Trust.
The study was published in the (peer-reviewed) journal Investigational New Drugs.
In general, the news stories present balanced views of this research, indicating that the new chemicals being tested may have potential, but that potential treatments are some way off. However, it is not clear from the top lines of most reports that the study tested modified forms of MDMA (ecstasy) in the laboratory, not the drug in its recreational form. The Express presents the most misleading headline, describing it as the ‘clubbers’ drug’, with an accompanying picture that might suggest someone taking the recreational drug.
What kind of research was this?
This was laboratory research investigating the effect on cancer cells of modified forms of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine – otherwise known as MDMA or ecstasy.
The researchers say that MDMA has been demonstrated to have some effectiveness at destroying lymphoma cells (cancer of the lymph system) in the laboratory. However, the drug has not yet been tested for this purpose in live animal models as there has been no success in making a form of the drug that lacks the adverse effects of MDMA on the brain and nervous system.
In this research, modified MDMA was created by adding different molecular groups to the drug. The researchers then tested how effective the new chemicals (called ‘analogues’ of MDMA) were against a certain rare type of B cell lymphoma cell (Burkitt’s lymphoma – an aggressive and rapidly growing lymphoma of B cells, which are so called because they mature in the bone marrow).
What did the research involve?
The researchers initially modified MDMA by adding different molecular groups (α-subunits). They tested the effectiveness of the different analogues against Burkitt’s lymphoma, and then against other B-cell lymphomas in the laboratory. The treated cells were stained with iodide, which is unable to pass through cell membranes, and another chemical that indicates activation of a particular enzyme. With the use of these techniques, the researchers were able to observe the processes of cell death.
What were the basic results?
After initial tests in which they added different chemical molecular subgroups, the researchers found that adding a particular molecular group (called a phenyl group) increased by 10-fold MDMA’s effectiveness against the Burkitt’s lymphoma cells. When other related molecular groups were added, some of the modified compounds were found to be 100-fold more effective than the original MDMA compound. When the researchers tested the compounds against other B-cell tumour lines, they found that the new compounds could also kill cells from other B-cell lymphomas besides Burkitt’s lymphoma.
Like most Burkitt’s lymphoma cells, the cells that were initially tested did not express the BCL-2 gene (meaning that this gene was not active within these cells). This is important, because BCL-2 is expressed in a number of tumours, and the protein that it codes for is believed to protect cancer cells against cell death and help them to resist cancer treatments. However, the researchers found that when they tested B-lymphoma cells that did express this gene, the cells still only had minimal protection against the action of the MDMA analogues.
The analogues seemed to be attracted to the fatty components in the lymphoma cells. It was believed that this was an important part of how the MDMA analogues were killing the cells.
How did the researchers interpret the results?
The researchers conclude that this study demonstrated that MDMA analogues can have cancer-killing properties against lymphoma cell types, including those that express a high level of BCL-2, which is often a barrier to effective cancer drug performance.
Conclusion
This is early stage research into identifying modified forms of MDMA that have improved efficacy against cancer cells. The researchers added different molecular groups to see how effective these new MDMA-like chemicals (called MDMA 'analogues') were at killing a type of B-cell lymphoma cell in the laboratory.
The researchers did not examine MDMA/ecstasy in its recreational drug form, nor did they examine the effects of these new chemicals against cancers in any animals or humans. At this stage, the researchers have only investigated the effect of directly adding the test chemicals to cells and observing them under laboratory conditions to see if they were able to kill the cells.
It is also important to note that this study has only tested MDMA analogues against Burkitt’s lymphoma and other B-cell lymphoma cell lines. These are all types of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. As such, it is too early to know whether MDMA analogues are effective against blood cancers in general: the research has not investigated all types of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, or any type of leukaemia or myeloma.
Much further research is needed before it is known if a modified form of the drug that is safe and effective can be developed. This would need to involve initial testing in an animal model before being considered for human testing.
This is early research into the use of a modified form of MDMA (ecstasy). Researchers added different molecular groups to MDMA to find new, related molecules that were more effective against certain types of B-cell lymphoma cells in the laboratory.
The research did not examine ecstasy (MDMA) in its recreational drug form, nor did it test the effects of these new chemicals on any animals or humans. Though this study raises possibilities, much further research is needed, including testing in animals, before it is known whether a modified form of MDMA could treat cancer in humans. As highlighted by Dr Julie Sharp of Cancer Research UK in The Telegraph, “MDMA is a dangerous drug, the researchers need also to find out if they can create safe versions to treat people with the disease”.
Ecstasy, or MDMA, remains an illegal and dangerous drug that can have highly unpredictable and occasionally fatal effects.
Where did the story come from?
The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Birmingham and The University of Western Australia. The research received funding from various sources, including Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, UK, and the Ada Bartholomew Medical Research Trust.
The study was published in the (peer-reviewed) journal Investigational New Drugs.
In general, the news stories present balanced views of this research, indicating that the new chemicals being tested may have potential, but that potential treatments are some way off. However, it is not clear from the top lines of most reports that the study tested modified forms of MDMA (ecstasy) in the laboratory, not the drug in its recreational form. The Express presents the most misleading headline, describing it as the ‘clubbers’ drug’, with an accompanying picture that might suggest someone taking the recreational drug.
What kind of research was this?
This was laboratory research investigating the effect on cancer cells of modified forms of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine – otherwise known as MDMA or ecstasy.
The researchers say that MDMA has been demonstrated to have some effectiveness at destroying lymphoma cells (cancer of the lymph system) in the laboratory. However, the drug has not yet been tested for this purpose in live animal models as there has been no success in making a form of the drug that lacks the adverse effects of MDMA on the brain and nervous system.
In this research, modified MDMA was created by adding different molecular groups to the drug. The researchers then tested how effective the new chemicals (called ‘analogues’ of MDMA) were against a certain rare type of B cell lymphoma cell (Burkitt’s lymphoma – an aggressive and rapidly growing lymphoma of B cells, which are so called because they mature in the bone marrow).
What did the research involve?
The researchers initially modified MDMA by adding different molecular groups (α-subunits). They tested the effectiveness of the different analogues against Burkitt’s lymphoma, and then against other B-cell lymphomas in the laboratory. The treated cells were stained with iodide, which is unable to pass through cell membranes, and another chemical that indicates activation of a particular enzyme. With the use of these techniques, the researchers were able to observe the processes of cell death.
What were the basic results?
After initial tests in which they added different chemical molecular subgroups, the researchers found that adding a particular molecular group (called a phenyl group) increased by 10-fold MDMA’s effectiveness against the Burkitt’s lymphoma cells. When other related molecular groups were added, some of the modified compounds were found to be 100-fold more effective than the original MDMA compound. When the researchers tested the compounds against other B-cell tumour lines, they found that the new compounds could also kill cells from other B-cell lymphomas besides Burkitt’s lymphoma.
Like most Burkitt’s lymphoma cells, the cells that were initially tested did not express the BCL-2 gene (meaning that this gene was not active within these cells). This is important, because BCL-2 is expressed in a number of tumours, and the protein that it codes for is believed to protect cancer cells against cell death and help them to resist cancer treatments. However, the researchers found that when they tested B-lymphoma cells that did express this gene, the cells still only had minimal protection against the action of the MDMA analogues.
The analogues seemed to be attracted to the fatty components in the lymphoma cells. It was believed that this was an important part of how the MDMA analogues were killing the cells.
How did the researchers interpret the results?
The researchers conclude that this study demonstrated that MDMA analogues can have cancer-killing properties against lymphoma cell types, including those that express a high level of BCL-2, which is often a barrier to effective cancer drug performance.
Conclusion
This is early stage research into identifying modified forms of MDMA that have improved efficacy against cancer cells. The researchers added different molecular groups to see how effective these new MDMA-like chemicals (called MDMA 'analogues') were at killing a type of B-cell lymphoma cell in the laboratory.
The researchers did not examine MDMA/ecstasy in its recreational drug form, nor did they examine the effects of these new chemicals against cancers in any animals or humans. At this stage, the researchers have only investigated the effect of directly adding the test chemicals to cells and observing them under laboratory conditions to see if they were able to kill the cells.
It is also important to note that this study has only tested MDMA analogues against Burkitt’s lymphoma and other B-cell lymphoma cell lines. These are all types of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. As such, it is too early to know whether MDMA analogues are effective against blood cancers in general: the research has not investigated all types of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, or any type of leukaemia or myeloma.
Much further research is needed before it is known if a modified form of the drug that is safe and effective can be developed. This would need to involve initial testing in an animal model before being considered for human testing.
here