6-APB (6-(2-aminopropyl)benzofuran) is an
empathogenic psychoactive
A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, psychoactive agent or psychotropic drug is a chemical substance, that changes functions of the nervous system, and results in alterations in perception, mood, consciousness, cognition or behavior.
Th ...
compound of the
substituted benzofuran and
substituted phenethylamine
Substituted phenethylamines (or simply phenethylamines) are a chemical class of organic compounds that are based upon the phenethylamine structure; the class is composed of all the derivative compounds of phenethylamine which can be formed by ...
classes. 6-APB and
other compounds are sometimes informally called "Benzofury" in newspaper reports. It is
similar in structure to
MDA
MDA, mda, or ''variation'', may refer to:
Places
* Moldova, a country in Europe with the ISO 3166-1 country code MDA Politics
* Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (2018), ruling coalition government in the Indian State of Meghalaya led by National Pe ...
, but differs in that the 3,4-
methylenedioxyphenyl ring
Ring may refer to:
* Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry
* To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell
:(hence) to initiate a telephone connection
Arts, entertainment and media Film and ...
system has been replaced with a
benzofuran
Benzofuran is the heterocyclic compound consisting of fused benzene and furan rings. This colourless liquid is a component of coal tar. Benzofuran is the "parent" of many related compounds with more complex structures. For example, psoralen i ...
ring. 6-APB is also the unsaturated benzofuran derivative of
6-APDB
6-(2-Aminopropyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran (6-APDB, 4-Desoxy-MDA, EMA-3) is a stimulant and entactogen drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine classes. It is an analogue of MDA where the heterocyclic 4-position oxygen from the 3,4-methylen ...
. It may appear as a tan grainy powder.
While the drug never became particularly popular, it briefly entered the rave and underground clubbing scene in the
UK before its sale and import were banned. It falls under the category of
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 ...
s, sometimes called "legal highs." Because 6-APB and other substituted benzofurans have not been explicitly outlawed in some countries, they are often technically legal, contributing to their popularity.
Pharmacology
Pharmacodynamics
6-APB is a
serotonin–norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor
A serotonin–norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor (SNDRI), also known as a triple reuptake inhibitor (TRI), is a type of drug that acts as a combined reuptake inhibitor of the monoamine neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine, and ...
(SNDRI) with K
i values of 117, 150, and 2698 nM for the
norepinephrine transporter
The norepinephrine transporter (NET), also known as noradrenaline transporter (NAT), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the solute carrier family 6 member 2 (SLC6A2) gene.
NET is a monoamine transporter and is responsible for the sodium- ...
(NET),
dopamine transporter
The dopamine transporter (also dopamine active transporter, DAT, SLC6A3) is a membrane-spanning protein that pumps the neurotransmitter dopamine out of the synaptic cleft back into cytosol. In the cytosol, other transporters sequester the dopam ...
(DAT), and
serotonin transporter
The serotonin transporter (SERT or 5-HTT) also known as the sodium-dependent serotonin transporter and solute carrier family 6 member 4 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SLC6A4 gene. SERT is a type of monoamine transporter protein tha ...
(SERT), respectively.
In addition, 6-APB not only
block
Block or blocked may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting
* Block programming, the result of a programming strategy in broadcasting
* W242BX, a radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States known as ''96.3 ...
s the
reuptake
Reuptake is the reabsorption of a neurotransmitter by a neurotransmitter transporter located along the plasma membrane of an axon terminal (i.e., the pre-synaptic neuron at a synapse) or glial cell after it has performed its function of transm ...
of these
monoamine neurotransmitter
Monoamine neurotransmitters are neurotransmitters and neuromodulators that contain one amino group connected to an aromaticity, aromatic ring by a two-carbon chain (such as -CH2-CH2-). Examples are dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin.
All mo ...
s but is also a
releasing agent
A monoamine releasing agent (MRA), or simply monoamine releaser, is a drug that induces the synapse, release of a monoamine neurotransmitter from the synapse, presynaptic neuron into the synapse, leading to an increase in the extracellular conc ...
of them; that is, it is a
serotonin-norepinephrine-dopamine releasing agent (SNDRA).
In addition to actions at the
monoamine transporter
Monoamine transporters (MATs) are protein structures that function as integral plasma-membrane transporters to regulate concentrations of extracellular monoamine neurotransmitters. Three major classes of MATs (SERT, DAT, NET) are responsible for ...
s, 6-APB is a
potent full agonist
An agonist is a chemical that activates a receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an antagonist blocks the action of the ago ...
of the
serotonin
Serotonin () or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Its biological function is complex and multifaceted, modulating mood, cognition, reward, learning, memory, and numerous physiological processes such as vomiting and vas ...
5-HT2B receptor (K
i = 3.7 nM),
with higher
affinity
Affinity may refer to:
Commerce, finance and law
* Affinity (law), kinship by marriage
* Affinity analysis, a market research and business management technique
* Affinity Credit Union, a Saskatchewan-based credit union
* Affinity Equity Par ...
for this
target
Target may refer to:
Physical items
* Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports
** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports
** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
than any other site.
Moreover, unlike MDMA, 6-APB shows 100-fold
selectivity
Selectivity may refer to:
Psychology and behaviour
* Choice, making a selection among options
* Discrimination, the ability to recognize differences
* Socioemotional selectivity theory, in social psychology
Engineering
* Selectivity (radio), a ...
for the 5-HT
2B receptor over the
5-HT2A and
5-HT2C receptors.
It is notably both more potent and more selective as an agonist of the 5-HT
2B receptor than the reference 5-HT
2B receptor agonist,
BW-723C86
BW-723C86 is a tryptamine derivative drug which acts as a 5-HT2B receptor agonist. It has anxiolytic effects in animal studies, and is also used for investigating the function of the 5-HT2B receptor in a range of other tissues.
BW-723C86 is a ...
, which is commonly used for research into the 5-HT
2B receptor. Aside from the 5-HT
2B receptor, 6-APB has also been found to bind with high affinity to the
α2C-adrenergic receptor subtype (K
i = 45 nM), although the clinical significance of this action is unknown.
6-APB showed little other affinity at a wide selection of other sites.
The potent agonism of the 5-HT
2B receptor makes it likely that 6-APB would be
cardiotoxic
Cardiotoxicity is the occurrence of heart dysfunction as electric or muscle damage, resulting in heart toxicity. The heart becomes weaker and is not as efficient in pumping blood. Cardiotoxicity may be caused by chemotherapy (a usual example is th ...
with chronic or long-term use, as seen with other 5-HT
2B receptor agonists such as the
withdrawn serotonergic
Serotonergic () or serotoninergic () means "pertaining to or affecting serotonin". Serotonin is a neurotransmitter. A synapse is serotonergic if it uses serotonin as its neurotransmitter. A serotonergic neuron ''produces'' serotonin. A substance is ...
anorectic
An anorectic or anorexic is a drug which reduces appetite, resulting in lower food consumption, leading to weight loss. By contrast, an appetite stimulant is referred to as orexigenic.
The term is (from the Greek ''ἀν-'' (an-) = "without" a ...
fenfluramine
Fenfluramine, sold under the brand name Fintepla, is a serotonergic medication used for the treatment of seizures associated with Dravet syndrome and Lennox–Gastaut syndrome.https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2022/212102s003lb ...
.
Pharmacokinetics
The
pharmacokinetics
Pharmacokinetics (from Ancient Greek ''pharmakon'' "drug" and ''kinetikos'' "moving, putting in motion"; see chemical kinetics), sometimes abbreviated as PK, is a branch of pharmacology dedicated to determining the fate of substances administered ...
of 6-APB have not been studied, however, some information can be extracted from user reports. These suggest a slow onset of 40–120 minutes. The drugs peak effects last 7 hours, followed by a comedown phase of approximately 2 hours, and after effects for up to 24 hours.
Metabolism
Although limited literature is available, there is some data on
metabolism
Metabolism (, from el, μεταβολή ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cell ...
of 6-APB in rats. Its Phase I metabolism involves
hydroxylation
In chemistry, hydroxylation can refer to:
*(i) most commonly, hydroxylation describes a chemical process that introduces a hydroxyl group () into an organic compound.
*(ii) the ''degree of hydroxylation'' refers to the number of OH groups in a ...
of the
furan
Furan is a heterocyclic organic compound, consisting of a five-membered aromatic ring with four carbon atoms and one oxygen atom. Chemical compounds containing such rings are also referred to as furans.
Furan is a colorless, flammable, highly ...
ring, then cleavage of the ring, followed by a
reduction of the unsaturated
aldehyde
In organic chemistry, an aldehyde () is an organic compound containing a functional group with the structure . The functional group itself (without the "R" side chain) can be referred to as an aldehyde but can also be classified as a formyl grou ...
from the previous step. The resulting aldehyde may then take two paths. It is either oxidized to a
carboxylic acid
In organic chemistry, a carboxylic acid is an organic acid that contains a carboxyl group () attached to an R-group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is or , with R referring to the alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, or other group. Carboxylic ...
or reduced to an
alcohol
Alcohol most commonly refers to:
* Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom
* Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks
Alcohol may also refer to:
Chemicals
* Ethanol, one of sev ...
, and then
hydroxylated
In chemistry, hydroxylation can refer to:
*(i) most commonly, hydroxylation describes a chemistry, chemical process that introduces a hydroxyl group () into an organic compound.
*(ii) the ''degree of hydroxylation'' refers to the number of OH gr ...
. Phase II metabolism consists of
glucuronidation
Glucuronidation is often involved in drug metabolism of substances such as drugs, pollutants, bilirubin, androgens, estrogens, mineralocorticoids, glucocorticoids, fatty acid derivatives, retinoids, and bile acids. These linkages involve glycosid ...
. The most prevalent metabolites in rats were
3-carboxymethyl-4-hydroxyamphetamine and
4-carboxymethyl-3-hydroxyamphetamine.
Adverse effects
Acute
psychosis
Psychosis is a condition of the mind that results in difficulties determining what is real and what is not real. Symptoms may include delusions and hallucinations, among other features. Additional symptoms are incoherent speech and behavior ...
has been associated with recreational use of 6-APB in combination with the synthetic cannabinoid JWH-122.
Reagents results
6-APB and its structural isomer
5-APB have been tested with a series of agents including:
Marquis
A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...
,
Liebermann,
Mecke, and
Froehde reagents. Exposing compounds to the reagents gives a colour change which is indicative of the compound under test.
6-APB succinate is reported to be practically insoluble in
CHCl3 as well as very minimally soluble in cold
water
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...
. A batch seized by the DEA contained a 2:1 ratio of succinate to 6-APB.
Synthesis
![Synthesis_of_6-APB_and_its_structural_isomer_4-APB](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Synthesis_of_6-APB_and_its_structural_isomer_4-APB.png)
The synthesis by Briner ''et al''.
entailed refluxing
3-bromophenol with
bromoacetaldehyde and
sodium hydride
Sodium hydride is the chemical compound with the empirical formula Na H. This alkali metal hydride is primarily used as a strong yet combustible base in organic synthesis. NaH is a saline (salt-like) hydride, composed of Na+ and H− ions, in co ...
to give the diethyl
acetal
In organic chemistry, an acetal is a functional group with the connectivity . Here, the R groups can be organic fragments (a carbon atom, with arbitrary other atoms attached to that) or hydrogen, while the R' groups must be organic fragments no ...
, which then was heated with
polyphosphoric acid
A phosphoric acid, in the general sense, is a phosphorus oxoacid in which each phosphorus (P) atom is in the oxidation state +5, and is bonded to four oxygen (O) atoms, one of them through a double bond, arranged as the corners of a tetrahedron. ...
to give a mixture of bromobenzofuran
structural isomer
In chemistry, a structural isomer (or constitutional isomer in the IUPAC nomenclature) of a chemical compound, compound is another compound whose molecule has the same number of atoms of each element, but with logically distinct chemical bond, b ...
s: 4-bromo-1-benzofuran and 6-bromo-1-benzofuran. The isomers were separated by
silica gel
Silica gel is an amorphous and porous form of silicon dioxide (silica), consisting of an irregular tridimensional framework of alternating silicon and oxygen atoms with nanometer-scale voids and pores. The voids may contain water or some other l ...
column chromatography
Column chromatography in chemistry is a chromatography method used to isolate a single chemical compound from a mixture. Chromatography is able to separate substances based on differential adsorption of compounds to the adsorbent; compounds move th ...
, then converted to their respective propanone derivatives, and then reductively aminated to give 6-APB and 4-APB, both of which were converted to their
HCl HCL may refer to:
Science and medicine
* Hairy cell leukemia, an uncommon and slowly progressing B cell leukemia
* Harvard Cyclotron Laboratory, from 1961 to 2002, a proton accelerator used for research and development
* Hollow-cathode lamp, a spe ...
ion pair
In chemistry, ion association is a chemical reaction whereby ions of opposite electric charge come together in solution to form a distinct chemical entity. Ion associates are classified, according to the number of ions that associate with each o ...
s for further examination.
Dosage and duration
Based on anecdotal reports, the dosages for 6-apb are the following:
Reagent results
Exposing compounds to the reagents gives a colour change which is indicative of the compound under test. The following test results are fro
protestkit
Law
North America
Canada
In 1999, amphetamines were changed from
Schedule III to
Schedule I as a result of the
Safe Streets Act
The ''Safe Streets Act, 1999'' (SSA) (the Act) is a statute in the province of Ontario, Canada. The Act prohibits aggressive solicitation of persons in certain public places. It also prohibits the disposal of "certain dangerous things" such as u ...
. Some have speculated that 6-APB's structure qualifies it as a Schedule I drug as an
analog
Analog or analogue may refer to:
Computing and electronics
* Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable
** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals
*** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...
of MDA.
In 2014, a study funded by the
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR; french: Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada; IRSC) is a federal agency responsible for funding health and medical research in Canada. Comprising 13 institutes, it is the successor to the M ...
noted that 6-APB "may or may not be legal in Canada depending on how one interprets the current Act" and that it could be purchased for academic purposes without an exemption from Health Canada. The study also noted how, unlike the MDMA it often serves as a replacement for in countries like the US, 6-APB's
benzofuran
Benzofuran is the heterocyclic compound consisting of fused benzene and furan rings. This colourless liquid is a component of coal tar. Benzofuran is the "parent" of many related compounds with more complex structures. For example, psoralen i ...
structure does not make it a direct analogue of
amphetamine
Amphetamine (contracted from alpha- methylphenethylamine) is a strong central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, and obesity. It is also commonly used ...
despite similarities in effects.
United States
6-APB is not scheduled at the federal level in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
but it may be considered an analog of amphetamine, in which case purchase, sale, or possession could be prosecuted under the
Federal Analog Act
The Federal Analogue Act, , is a section of the United States Controlled Substances Act passed in 1986 which allows any chemical "substantially similar" to a controlled substance listed in Controlled Substances Act#Schedule I controlled substance ...
.
France
6-APB is unscheduled in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
Germany
6-APB is illegal in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
since the 17th of July, 2013, when it was added to
Anlage II
Anlage may refer to:
* Allele, a specific version of a gene, as used by Gregor Mendel
* Anlage Süd
''Anlage Süd'' (English: ''Installation South'') was a pair of railway headquarters built for Adolf Hitler in the Nazi-occupied part of southe ...
of the
Betäubungsmittelgesetz
The Betäubungsmittelgesetz (BtMG), generally meaning Narcotics Law, is the controlled substances law of Germany. In common with the Misuse of Drugs Act of 1971 of the United Kingdom and Controlled Substances Acts of the US and Canada, it is a con ...
.
Italy
6-APB is illegal in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
.
Luxembourg
In
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
, 6-APB is not cited in the list of prohibited substances. Therefore, it is still a legal substance.
Netherlands
6-APB is not listed under the
Opium Law
The Opium Law (or ''Opiumwet'' in Dutch) is the section of the Dutch law which covers nearly all psychotropic drugs.
Origin and history
In 1912, the First International Opium Conference took place in The Hague, where agreements were made abou ...
or the Medicine Act in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, and thus currently legal.
New Zealand and Australia
Certain countries contain a "substantially similar" catch-all clause in their drug law, such as
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. This includes 6-APB as it is similar in chemical structure to the class A drug
MDA
MDA, mda, or ''variation'', may refer to:
Places
* Moldova, a country in Europe with the ISO 3166-1 country code MDA Politics
* Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (2018), ruling coalition government in the Indian State of Meghalaya led by National Pe ...
, meaning 6-APB may be viewed as a controlled substance analogue in these jurisdictions.
Sweden
In
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, as of 27 December 2009 6-APB is classified as "health hazard" under the act
''Lagen om förbud mot vissa hälsofarliga varor'' (translated ''Act on the Prohibition of Certain Goods Dangerous to Health'').
UK
On June 10, 2013 6-APB and a number of analogues were classified as
Temporary Class Drugs in the UK following an ACMD recommendation.
This means that sale and import of the named substances are criminal offences and are treated as for class B drugs. On November 28, 2013 the ACMD recommended that 6-APB and related benzofurans should become
Class B,
Schedule 1 Schedule 1 may refer to:
* Schedule I Controlled Substances within the US Controlled Substances Act
* Schedule I Controlled Drugs and Substances within the Canadian Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
* Schedule I Psychotropic Substances within t ...
substances.
On March 5, 2014 the UK Home Office announced that 6-APB would be made a class B drug on 10 June 2014 alongside every other benzofuran entactogen and many structurally related drugs.
References
{{Phenethylamines
5-HT2B agonists
Substituted amphetamines
6-Benzofuranethanamines
Designer drugs
Serotonin-norepinephrine-dopamine releasing agents
Serotonin receptor agonists
Entactogens and empathogens