title: Designer drugs: a medicinal chemistry perspective.
abstract: There are numerous medicinal chemistry reports in the literature describing the pharmacological properties of thousands of narcotics, stimulants, hallucinogens, sedative-hypnotic drugs, cannabinoids, and other psychoactive substances as well as synthetic methods for their preparations. This information, while essential for the advancement of science, has been used by clandestine chemists to manufacture and market an endless variety of analogs of so-called designer drugs. In this review, we describe how clandestine chemists used the principles of medicinal chemistry to design molecules, referred to as designer drugs, that elicit the effects of opioids, amphetamine and analogs, cannabinoids, and phencyclidine analogs while circumventing the law.
authors.affiliation: Center for Organic and Medicinal Chemistry, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709-2194, USA. fic@rti.org
authors.forename: F Ivy
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.forename: Anita H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Lewin
authors.forename: S Wayne
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Mascarella
authors.forename: Herbert H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Seltzman
authors.forename: P Anantha
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Reddy
mesh_terms: D000662:Amphetamines / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical / Q000941:ethics; D015198:Designer Drugs / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D015195:Drug Design; D004335:Drug and Narcotic Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000494:pharmacology; D010622:Phencyclidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D015871:Scientific Misconduct; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000662:Amphetamines; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D002186:Cannabinoids; D015198:Designer Drugs; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D010622:Phencyclidine