Abstract
Background: Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are compounds of natural and synthetic origin, similar to traditional drugs of abuse. NPS are involved in a contemporary trend whose origin lies in a thinner balance between legitimate therapeutic drug research and legislative control. The contemporary NPS trend resulted from the replacement of MDMA by synthetic cathinones in ‘ecstasy’ during the 2000s. The most common NPS are synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones. Interestingly, during the last 50 years, these two classes of NPS have been the object of scientific research for a set of health conditions. Methods: Searches were conducted in the online database PubMed using boolean equations. Results: Synthetic cannabinoids displayed protective and therapeutic effects for inflammatory, neurodegenerative and oncologic pathologies, activating the immune system and reducing inflammation. Synthetic cathinones act similarly to amphetamine-type stimulants and can be used for depression and chronic fatigue. Conclusions: Despite the scientific advances in this field of research, pharmacological application of NPS is being jeopardized by fatalities associated with their recreational use. This review addresses the scientific achievements of these two classes of NPS and the toxicological data, ending with a reflection on Illicit and NPS control frames.
Highlights
Over the past 15 years, the market for psychotropic substances has been flooded with a vast and heterogeneous set of substances active over the central nervous system (CNS), termed novel psychoactive substances (NPS) [1]
Cannabinoid receptor agonists have been developed for therapeutic purposes after the United Nations (UN) Conventions to control narcotics and psychotropic substances [57]. Most of these substances were not approved by medicine regulatory agencies
Considering that the endocannabinoid system plays an essential role in several processes, including inflammation and immune system modulation [111], which are implicated in inflammatory arthritis pathogenesis, synthetic cannabinoids are an object of medical research as a potential treatment for this condition
Summary
Over the past 15 years, the market for psychotropic substances has been flooded with a vast and heterogeneous set of substances active over the central nervous system (CNS), termed novel psychoactive substances (NPS) [1]. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), NPS encompass substances not controlled by the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances and the 1988 Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances These compounds, of natural and synthetic origin, mimic the effects of traditional drugs of abuse, posing a risk to public health due to the lack of pharmacological knowledge [2]. 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a derivative of amphetamine known as ‘ecstasy’ or ‘molly’, was first synthesized in 1912 and patented by Merck in 1914 [13] This substance gained popularity in psychiatric practice during the 1970s and 1980s due to its empathogenic effect, making patients more open to psychotherapy [13–16]. The introduction of synthetic cathinones as recreational substances, in ‘ecstasy’ and ‘bath salts’ on the market [19], was accompanied by other classes of compounds mimicking the effects of opiates, benzodiazepines, dissociative, hallucinogens and cannabinoids [20,21]. It brings forward the thin line separating legitimate medical research from substance abuse in light of the contemporaneous trend of NPS, allowing to better understand the origins of such trends
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