Rationale

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and methcathinone (MCAT) are abused psychostimulant drugs that produce adverse effects in human users that include hepatotoxicity and death. Recent work has suggested a connection between hepatotoxicity, elevations in plasma ammonia, and brain glutamate function for methamphetamine (METH)-induced neurotoxicity.

Objectives

These experiments investigated the effect of ambient temperature on the toxicity and lethality produced by MDMA and MCAT in mice, and whether these effects might involve similar mechanisms to those described for METH neurotoxicity.

Results

Under low (room temperature) ambient temperature conditions, MDMA induced hepatotoxicity, elevated plasma ammonia levels, and induced lethality. Under the same conditions, even a very high dose of MCAT produced limited toxic or lethal effects. High ambient temperature conditions potentiated the toxic and lethal effects of both MDMA and MCAT.

Conclusion

These studies suggest that hepatotoxicity, plasma ammonia, and brain glutamate function are involved in MDMA-induced lethality, as has been shown for METH neurotoxicity. The toxicity and lethality of both MDMA and MCAT were potentiated by high ambient temperatures. Although an initial mouse study reported that several cathinones were much less toxic than METH or MDMA, the present results suggest that it will be essential to assess the potential dangers posed by these drugs under high ambient temperatures.

中文翻译：

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较高的环境温度会增加3,4-亚甲二氧基甲基苯丙胺和甲卡西酮的毒性和致死性。

基本原理

亚甲二氧基甲基苯丙胺（MDMA）和甲卡西酮（MCAT）是滥用的精神刺激药物，会对人类使用者产生不良影响，包括肝毒性和死亡。最近的工作表明，肝毒性，血浆氨升高和脑谷氨酸对甲基苯丙胺（METH）诱导的神经毒性的作用之间存在联系。

目标

这些实验研究了环境温度对MDMA和MCAT在小鼠中产生的毒性和致死性的影响，以及这些影响是否可能涉及与描述的METH神经毒性相似的机制。

结果

在低（室温）环境温度条件下，MDMA引起肝毒性，血浆氨水平升高和致死率。在相同条件下，即使非常高剂量的MCAT也会产生有限的毒性或致死作用。高环境温度条件增强了MDMA和MCAT的毒性和致死作用。

结论

这些研究表明，肝毒性，血浆氨和脑谷氨酸功能与MDMA致死有关，如对METH神经毒性所显示的。高环境温度增强了MDMA和MCAT的毒性和致死性。尽管一项初步的小鼠研究报告说，几种卡西酮的毒性远低于METH或MDMA，但目前的结果表明，评估这些药物在高温下的潜在危险至关重要。