59 Results Found

The historical use of toxic chemicals to cause intentional harm has evolved from blister agents in World War I to highly lethal organophosphates and emerging families of chemicals, such as Novichok. In turn, medical or recreational substances like fe...

Background: Octodrine is the trade name for Dimethylhexylamine (DMHA), a central nervous stimulant that increases the uptake of dopamine and noradrenaline. Originally developed as a nasal decongestant in the 1950’s, it has recently been re-introduce...

Caffeine, a natural stimulant, is known to be effective for weight loss. On this basis, we screened the arousal-inducing effect of five dietary supplements with a weight loss effect (Garcinia cambogia, Coleus forskohlii, Camellia sinensis L., Irvingi...

For the first time, the present study employed hair testing to investigate the prevalence of classical drugs of abuse and new psychoactive substances use during gestation in a cohort of 300 Mexican pregnant women. An interview was conducted to collec...

Neuropsychiatric diseases such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress represent a substantial long-term challenge for the global health systems because of their rising prevalence, uncertain neuropathology, and lack of effective pharmacolog...

As new psychoactive substances (commonly known as “the third generation drugs”) have characteristics such as short-term emergence, rapid updating, and great social harmfulness, there is a large gap in the development of their detection me...

The emergence of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in the global drug market since the 2000s has posed major challenges for regulators and law enforcement agencies. Among these, synthetic cathinones have gained prominence due to their stimulant effec...

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death. It not only affects adult people but also many children. It is estimated that, every year, 15 million people suffer a stroke worldwide. Among them, 5 million people die, while 5 million people are left pe...

The chameleon can disguise itself in nature by taking on different colors and forms. As synthetic cannabinoids (SC) have clinically similar effects to those of several psychoactive agents, they are one of the most difficult intoxications to diagnose....

Background: The issue of beta blocker poisoning has received little attention, despite the widespread use of these compounds in cardiac and neuropsychiatric care. Safety profiles differ, and some beta blockers appear in poisonings far beyond what the...

The endogenous cannabinoid system (ECS) plays a critical role in the regulation of various physiological functions, including sleep, mood, and neuroinflammation. Phytocannabinoids such as Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), cannab...

Cannabis contains the psychoactive component delta⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta⁹-THC), and the non-psychoactive components cannabidiol (CBD), cannabinol, and cannabigerol. It is well-known that delta⁹-THC and other cannabinoid CB₁ receptor agonists a...

Background and Objectives: While sleep paralysis (SP) is a well-defined disorder, its pathophysiology and causes remain elusive. We aimed to assess the prevalence of sleep paralysis among higher education students and determine factors associated wit...

In recent years, xylazine has emerged as a cutting agent combined with illicit drugs to extend their effects. The present study aimed to discover drug use patterns associated with xylazine-positive and -negative urine toxicology drug screens and to a...

Depression is a disease that has affected a high proportion of the world’s population and people of different ages, incapacitating them from good performance at work and in social relationships, and causing emotional disorders to millions of families...

The emergence of new psychoactive substances has earned a great deal of attention, and several reports of acute poisoning and deaths have been issued involving, for instance, synthetic opiates. In recent years, there have been profound alterations in...

Background and Objective: In the last decade, the phenomenon of using new psychoactive substances (NPS), called designer drugs, has been on rise. Though their production and marketing in Poland is prohibited, reports of the Supreme Audit Office noted...

This publication discusses two compounds belonging to the psychoactive substances group which are studied in the context of depression treatment—psilocybin and esketamine. The former is a naturally occurring psychedelic. The latter was invented...

Natural products have a long history as a source of psychoactive agents and pharmacological tools for understanding the brain and its circuitry. In the last two decades, marine cyanobacteria have become a standard source of natural product ligands wi...

Despite the recent promising results of MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine) as a psychotherapeutic agent and its history of misuse, little is known about its molecular mode of action. MDMA enhances monoaminergic neurotransmission in the brain a...

The global rise of new psychoactive substances (NPSs) poses challenges for their analysis in biological matrices due to their complex chemistries and short market lifespan. A comparative study for the simultaneous extraction, separation, and detectio...

The management of orofacial pain to alleviate the quality of life of affected patients is becoming increasingly challenging for scientific research and healthcare professionals. From this perspective, in addition to conventional therapies, new altern...

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive phytocannabinoid that has been discussed for its safety and efficacy in cancer treatments. For this reason, we have inquired into its use on triple-negative human breast cancer. Analyzing the biological effects...

Nicotine, the primary psychoactive agent in tobacco leaves, has led to the widespread use of tobacco, with over one billion smokers globally. This article provides a historical overview of tobacco and discusses tobacco dependence, as well as the biol...

Pharmacological agents limiting secondary tissue loss and improving functional outcomes after stroke are still limited. Cannabidiol (CBD), the major non-psychoactive component of Cannabis sativa, has been proposed as a neuroprotective agent against e...

The term seizures includes a wide array of different disorders with variable etiology, which currently represent one of the most important classes of neurological illnesses. As a consequence, many different antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are currently av...

Adolescence and youth are stages of exploration and experimentation, when the consumption of psychoactive substances for recreational or experimental purposes often begins. The general objective of this study was to explore youth consumption habits i...

Cannabidiol (CBD) is the most abundant non-psychoactive component of cannabis; it displays a very low affinity for cannabinoid receptors, facilitates endocannabinoid signaling by inhibiting the hydrolysis of anandamide, and stimulates both transient...

Cannabigerol (CBG), a non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in cannabis, has emerged as a promising therapeutic agent with a diverse range of potential applications. Unlike its well-known counterpart tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), CBG does not induce intox...

The highly aggressive and invasive glioblastoma (GBM) tumour is the most malignant lesion among adult-type diffuse gliomas, representing the most common primary brain tumour in the neuro-oncology practice of adults. With a poor overall prognosis and...

The article proposes a rough outline of an alternative systemic approach to mental health issues and of a more humane mental health care system. It suggests focusing on understanding mental distress as stemming from problems in living, using medicati...

Compounds present in Cannabis sativa L. preparations have recently attracted much attention in the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. Here, we screened two olive oil extracts from a non-psychoactive C. sativa variety, fully characterized by high-p...

Cannabis products that contain the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cannabinoid are emerging as promising therapeutic agents for the treatment of medical conditions such as chronic pain. THC elicits psychoactive effects through modulation of dopaminergic n...

Addiction poses a major global public health challenge. It is characterized by high prevalence, chronic relapse and limited efficacy of available pharmacotherapies across different substance use disorders. Increasing evidence demonstrates that incret...

Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs), a class of widely abused new psychoactive substances, are characterized by their structural diversity and rapid evolution. Structure–affinity relationships are crucial for predicting pharmacological effects and pot...

Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound from Cannabis sativa, has shown efficacy in treating psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting 1–3% of the global population; however, the mechanisms remain unclear. This study inves...

Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive phytocannabinoid derived from Cannabis sativa L., has emerged as a promising multifunctional agent in dermatology and cosmetic science. The review provides an updated synthesis of CBD’s topical therapeutic...

Cannabis sativa var. Kompolti, a variety routinely used for food production purposes, is characterized by a low concentration of psychoactive molecules, although containing many other biologically attractive metabolites in all parts of the plant, inc...

As tranquilizers, benzodiazepines have a wide range of clinical uses. Recently, there has been a significant rise in the number of novel psychoactive substances, including designer benzodiazepines. Flubromazolam(8-bromo-6-(2-fluorophenyl)-1-methyl-4H...

Silylation is a widely used derivatization technique for the gas chromatographic analysis of benzodiazepines, a class of psychoactive drugs commonly encountered in forensic and biological samples. This study investigated the optimal experimental cond...

Background: Post-treatment side effects of chemotherapy can include cognitive deficits commonly known as Chemo-brain. The treatment of patients with Doxorubicin (DOX), one of the most widely used chemotherapeutic drugs in the treatment of cancer, can...

Delirium is an acute neuropsychiatric syndrome of multifactorial etiology with a high incidence in people admitted to intensive care units. In addition to reversible impairment of cognitive processes, it may be associated with changes in thinking and...

Caffeine is a widely consumed psychoactive compound known to influence drug metabolism and efficacy through interactions with key enzymes such as cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4). This study investigates the molecular impact of caffeine on the binding be...

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa (Korth.) Havil.) is a medicinal plant containing bioactive alkaloids, notably mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, which are psychoactive compounds with analgesic and stimulant properties. Due to safety concerns, the use o...

Cannabidiol (CBD) has garnered interest in its potential antioxidant properties in skin care. This review synthesizes the current literature exploring CBD’s role as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory cosmetic ingredient and its impact on skin...

Cannabinoids, the bioactive compounds found in Cannabis sativa, have been used for medicinal purposes for centuries, with early discoveries dating back to the BC era (BCE). However, the increased recreational use of cannabis has led to a negative per...

What triggered the emergence of uniquely human behaviors (language, religion, music) some 100,000 years ago? A non-circular, speculative theory based on the mother-infant relationship is presented. Infant “cuteness” evokes the infant sche...

Plant cannabinoids, secondary metabolites of species belonging to the Cannabis genus, can mimic the endocannabinoids’ action and exert biological effects. Considering the contribution of the endocannabinoid system in cell cycle and apoptotic re...

The widespread use of novel psychoactive substances (NPSs)—defined as new narcotic or psychotropic agents not classified under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 or the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971—poses a si...

Cannabis sativa root has traditionally been used to relieve pain and inflammation, but its pharmacological properties remain underexplored due to low levels of psychoactive cannabinoids. This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory and antin...