ANALYSIS OF THE ENANTIOMERS OF 3,4-METHYLENEDIOXY-N-ETHYLAMPHETAMINE (MDE, EVE) AND ITS METABOLITE 3,4-METHYLENEDIOXYAMPHETAMINE (MDA) IN RAT-BRAIN

The methylenedioxy analogues of amphetamine are used recreationally de spite concerns raised regarding potential neurotoxicity of the parent compounds and a number of metabolites. Much has been written regarding 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ''Ecstasy''), but there is l ess information available on 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-ethylamphetamine (MD E; ''Eve''), despite recent reports indicating the abuse of this drug and its potentially serious side effects. An assay procedure was devel oped for the simultaneous quantitation of both enantiomers of MDE and its metabolite MDA; the method involves derivatization with an optical ly pure reagent and analysis on a gas chromatograph equipped with a ca pillary column and a nitrogen-phosphorus detector. Brain levels of the enantiomers of MDE and MDA were examined in the rat at different time periods after acute i.p. injections of racemic MDE and the results we re compared with levels of MDMA and MDA obtained after i.p. injection of MDMA in a previous study from our laboratories. The levels of the e nantiomers of MDE and MBA achieved at 1, 4, and 8 hr were lower than i n the case of MDMA. Stereoselective differences in brain levels of ena ntiomers of the parent drug and metabolite were much less marked with MDE than with MDMA, but where these small differences did exist in the case of MDE, the (R)-(-) vs (S)-(+) relationship was opposite to that reported for MDMA.