Opioids are arguably one of the most important pharmacologic classes, mainly due to their rich history, their useful and potent analgesic effects, and also, just as importantly, their “Dark Side”, constituted by their reinforcing properties that have led countless of users to a spiral of addiction, biological dependence, tolerance, withdrawal syndromes, and death. Among the most significant abused and addictive known opioids are heroin and desomorphine, both synthetic derivatives of morphine that belong to the 4,5-epoxymorphinan structural chemical group of the opioid family drugs. These agents share not only structural, pharmacological, and epidemiological features but also a common geographical distribution. A drop in Afghan heroin production and its “exports” to Russia gave rise to widespread consumption of desomorphine in ex-Soviet republics during the first decade of the 21st century, representing an economical and accessible alternative for misusers to this sort of derivative. Herein we review the state of the art of history, chemistry and synthesis, pharmacology, and impact on society of these “cursed cousins”.

中文翻译：

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化学神经科学中的黑暗经典：海洛因和 Desomorphine。

阿片类药物可以说是最重要的药理学类别之一，主要是因为它们的历史悠久、有用且有效的镇痛作用，而且同样重要的是，它们的“黑暗面”由它们的增强特性构成，这些特性导致无数使用者成瘾、生物依赖、耐受、戒断综合症和死亡的恶性循环。在已知的最严重滥用和成瘾的阿片类药物中，海洛因和去甲吗啡是吗啡的合成衍生物，属于阿片类药物家族药物的 4,5-环氧吗啡喃结构化学组。这些药物不仅具有结构、药理学和流行病学特征，而且具有共同的地理分布。在 21 世纪的头十年，阿富汗海洛因产量的下降及其对俄罗斯的“出口”导致了前苏联共和国对去甲吗啡的广泛消费，这为滥用此类衍生物的人提供了一种经济且容易获得的替代品。在此，我们回顾了这些“被诅咒的表亲”的历史、化学和合成、药理学以及对社会的影响。