Desmethylsertraline (DMS), also known as norsertraline, is an

active metabolite An active metabolite is an active form of a drug after it has been processed by the body. Metabolites of drugs An active metabolite results when a drug is metabolized by the body into a modified form which continues to produce effects in the body ...

of the

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 ...

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 ...

sertraline Sertraline, sold under the brand name Zoloft among others, is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class. The efficacy of sertraline for depression is similar to that of other antidepressants, and the differe ...

. Like sertraline, desmethylsertraline acts as a

monoamine reuptake inhibitor A monoamine reuptake inhibitor (MRI) is a drug that acts as a reuptake inhibitor of one or more of the three major monoamine neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine by blocking the action of one or more of the respective monoamine ...

, and may be responsible for some of its parent's therapeutic benefits; however, the effects of DMS's main activity of increasing serotonin levels via binding to the serotonin transporter appears to be negligible as in vivo testing showed no measurable change in brain activity despite a nearly 20-fold increase in DMS blood levels compared to the EC50 (i.e. the amount required to achieve the desired effect in 50% of the population) of its parent drug sertraline. DMS is significantly less potent relative to sertraline as a

serotonin reuptake inhibitor A serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) is a type of drug which acts as a reuptake inhibitor of the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5-HT) by blocking the action of the serotonin transporter (SERT). This in turn leads to increase ...

(''K''_i = 76 nM vs. 3 nM, respectively), but conversely, is more balanced as a monoamine reuptake inhibitor ( 5-HT (''K''_i) = 76 nM; NE (''K''_i) = 420 nM; DA (''K''_i) = 440 nM), which has the effective result of DMS contrarily behaving as a serotonin-norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor (SNDRI), with about 5.5-fold preference for inhibiting

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 ...

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 ...

relative to

catecholamine A catecholamine (; abbreviated CA) is a monoamine neurotransmitter, an organic compound that has a catechol (benzene with two hydroxyl side groups next to each other) and a side-chain amine. Catechol can be either a free molecule or a subst ...

reuptake. Dasotraline, a

stereoisomer In stereochemistry, stereoisomerism, or spatial isomerism, is a form of isomerism in which molecules have the same molecular formula and sequence of bonded atoms (constitution), but differ in the three-dimensional orientations of their atoms in ...

of DMS, is also an SNDRI, and has been investigated for the potential clinical treatment of

major depressive disorder Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Introdu ...

attention-deficit disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inap ...

, and

eating disorder An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that negatively affect a person's physical or mental health. Only one eating disorder can be diagnosed at a given time. Types of eating disorders include binge eating d ...

s, but has not been approved or marketed for any indication.

References

1-Aminotetralins Chlorobenzenes Human drug metabolites Serotonin–norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitors {{nervous-system-drug-stub

See also

References