5-Methoxy-6-methyl-2-aminoindane (MMAI) is a

drug A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...

developed in the 1990s by a team led by

David E. Nichols David Earl Nichols (born December 23, 1944, Covington, Kentucky) is an Americans, American pharmacologist and medicinal chemist. Previously the Robert C. and Charlotte P. Anderson Distinguished Chair in Pharmacology at Purdue University, Nichol ...

at Purdue University. It acts as a non- neurotoxic and highly selective serotonin releasing agent (SSRA) and produces entactogen effects in humans. It has been sold as a designer drug and

research chemical Research chemicals are chemical substances used by scientists for medical and scientific research purposes. One characteristic of a research chemical is that it is for laboratory research use only; a research chemical is not intended for human o ...

online since 2010. MMAI has been shown to relieve stress-induced depression in rats more robustly than sertraline, and as a result it has been suggested that SSRAs like MMAI and

4-MTA 4-Methylthioamphetamine (4-MTA) is a designer drug of the substituted amphetamine class developed in the 1990s by a team led by David E. Nichols, an American pharmacologist and medical chemist, at Purdue University. It acts as a non-neurotoxic hi ...

could be developed as novel

antidepressant Antidepressants are a class of medication used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic pain conditions, and to help manage addictions. Common side-effects of antidepressants include dry mouth, weight gain, dizziness, hea ...

s with a faster onset of therapeutic action and superior efficacy to current antidepressants such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Methoxy-6-methyl-2-aminoindane, 5- 2-Aminoindanes Entactogens and empathogens Designer drugs Phenol ethers Serotonin releasing agents