Neuroscience Graduate Program , University of California, Davis , 1544 Newton Ct. , Davis , California 95618 , United States.
Department of Chemistry , University of California, Davis , One Shields Avenue , Davis , California 95616 , United States.
ACS Chem Neurosci. 2018 Oct 17;9(10):2344-2357. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00101. Epub 2018 Jul 23.
Though relatively obscure, N, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is an important molecule in psychopharmacology as it is the archetype for all indole-containing serotonergic psychedelics. Its structure can be found embedded within those of better-known molecules such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin. Unlike the latter two compounds, DMT is ubiquitous, being produced by a wide variety of plant and animal species. It is one of the principal psychoactive components of ayahuasca, a tisane made from various plant sources that has been used for centuries. Furthermore, DMT is one of the few psychedelic compounds produced endogenously by mammals, and its biological function in human physiology remains a mystery. In this review, we cover the synthesis of DMT as well as its pharmacology, metabolism, adverse effects, and potential use in medicine. Finally, we discuss the history of DMT in chemical neuroscience and why this underappreciated molecule is so important to the field of psychedelic science.
尽管相对不为人知，但 N, N-二甲基色胺 (DMT) 是精神药理学中的一个重要分子，因为它是所有含吲哚的血清素致幻剂的原型。它的结构可以在更知名的分子如麦角酸二乙酰胺 (LSD) 和裸盖菇素中找到。与后两种化合物不同，DMT 无处不在，存在于各种植物和动物物种中。它是 ayahuasca 的主要精神活性成分之一，ayahuasca 是一种由各种植物来源制成的茶，已经使用了几个世纪。此外，DMT 是哺乳动物体内产生的少数几种内源性致幻化合物之一，其在人类生理学中的生物学功能仍然是一个谜。在这篇综述中，我们介绍了 DMT 的合成及其药理学、代谢、不良反应以及在医学中的潜在用途。最后，我们讨论了 DMT 在化学生物学中的历史，以及为什么这个被低估的分子对迷幻科学领域如此重要。
