Alfetamine, or alpha-

allyl In organic chemistry, an allyl group is a substituent with the structural formula , where R is the rest of the molecule. It consists of a methylene bridge () attached to a vinyl group (). The name is derived from the scientific name for garlic, ...

- phen

ethyl Ethyl may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Cold Ethyl, a Swedish rock band *Ethyl Sinclair, a character in the ''Dinosaurs'' television show Science and technology * Ethyl group, an organic chemistry moiety * Ethyl alcohol (or ethanol) * E ...

amine In chemistry, amines (, ) are compounds and functional groups that contain a basic nitrogen atom with a lone pair. Amines are formally derivatives of ammonia (), wherein one or more hydrogen atoms have been replaced by a substituen ...

, is a chemical compound of the

phenethylamine Phenethylamine (PEA) is an organic compound, natural monoamine alkaloid, and trace amine, which acts as a central nervous system stimulant in humans. In the brain, phenethylamine regulates monoamine neurotransmission by binding to trace amin ...

family. It was briefly investigated as a possible antidepressant in the early 1970s. Its activity profile was said to be very similar to

imipramine Imipramine, sold under the brand name Tofranil, among others, is a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) mainly used in the treatment of depression. It is also effective in treating anxiety and panic disorder. The drug is also used to treat bedwetting. ...

and amitriptyline, two

tricyclic antidepressants Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are a class of medications that are used primarily as antidepressants, which is important for the management of depression. They are second-line drugs next to SSRIs. TCAs were discovered in the early 1950s and wer ...

. It has now been largely superseded by the newer compounds in this class, and only rarely found in scientific literature. The "alpha" in its name refers to its prodrug form, alfetamine. In addition to being an antidepressant, alfetamine is also a neuroprotective agent that acts as a weak dopamine antagonist and a high affinity κ-opioid receptor agonist. Alfetamine was synthesized by Kenji Tsukada and colleagues at Shinshu University and Dow Chemical Company in the 1960s and early 1970s.

References

{{Phenethylamines Phenethylamines Allyl compounds Norepinephrine-dopamine releasing agents Alkene derivatives