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AWD 52-39
AWD 52-39, or
AWD-5239, also known as
N,N-diacetoxyethyl-9,10-dihydrolysergamide, is a
drug described as a "
nootropic" (cognitive enhancer) of the
lysergamide family related to
lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) that was never marketed.[1][2][3][4][5] It was under development by
Arzneimittelwerk Dresden, but development was discontinued.[4] The effects of AWD 52-39 in
preclinical studies have been reported.[5][6][7][8] It has been described as a
serotonin 5-HT2 receptor antagonist.[1][2] The drug has been found to enhance
learning and
memory and to produce
antidepressant-like effects in rodents.[3] It appears to act upon
vascular serotonin receptors.[7] The
chemical synthesis and
stereochemistry of AWD 52-39 have been described.[9] The drug was first described in the
scientific literature by 1989.[5] It reached
phase 2 clinical trials for the treatment of
cognition disorders prior to the discontinuation of its development.[1][2]
References
1.
"AWD 5239".
AdisInsight. 31 July 1995. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
2.
"Delving into the Latest Updates on AWD-5239 with Synapse".
Synapse. 16 May 2026. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
3. Hoffmann W, Rostock A, Siegemund C, Bartsch R (1990).
"Effects of the novel compound AWD 52-39 on behavioral test methods for evaluation of memory-enhancing drugs".
European Journal of Pharmacology.
183 (4): 1480. doi:
10.1016/0014-2999(90)94625-8. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
4. Froestl W, Pfeifer A, Muhs A (2013).
"Cognitive enhancers (nootropics). Part 3: drugs interacting with targets other than receptors or enzymes. disease-modifying drugs".
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
34 (1): 1–114. doi:
10.3233/JAD-121729. PMID
23186990.
5. Hoffman W, Rostock A, Siegemund C, Bartsch R (April 1989). "AWD 52-39, an ergot derivative with potential nootropic activity".
Activitas Nervosa Superior.
31 (1): 56–57. PMID
2782003.
6. Brust P, Jordan K (August 1992). "Effects of the nootropic AWD 52-39 on the blood-brain transfer of leucine, choline and glucose in rats after 14-d exposure to ethanol".
Die Pharmazie.
47 (8): 616–620. PMID
1438514.
7. Müller H, Glusa E (February 1992). "Effect of AWD 52-39 on vasoconstriction induced by noradrenaline and 5-hydroxytryptamine in vitro and in vivo in rats".
Die Pharmazie.
47 (2): 137–139. PMID
1635923.
8. Brust P (1991). "Blood-brain barrier transport under different physiological and pathophysiological circumstances including ischemia".
Experimental Pathology.
42 (4): 213–219. doi:
10.1016/s0232-1513(11)80068-x. PMID
1959581.
9. Dopke W, Heidenbluth K, Hempel R, Zeigan D, Mugge C (1995).
"Synthese und Stereochemie von AWD 52-39" [Synthesis and Stereochemistry of AWD-52-39.].
Pharmazie (in German).
50 (5): 351–354.
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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AWD_52-39