ATC code none PubChem CID 11778080 UNII 28A91R606X | CAS Number 72242-03-6 ChemSpider 9952762 | |
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Legal status CA: Schedule I
DE: Anlage II (Prohibited)
UK: Class B
Illegal in the Czech Republic and Sweden | ||
3-Methoxyphencyclidine (3-MeO-PCP) is a dissociative anesthetic drug that has been sold online as a designer drug. The compound was first synthesized in 1979 to investigate the structure-activity relationship of phencyclidine derivatives. The activity of 3-MeO-PCP in humans was not described until 1999 when a chemist using the pseudonym John Q. Beagle wrote that 3-MeO-PCP was qualitatively similar to PCP with comparable potency. 3-MeO-PCP binds to the NMDA receptor with higher affinity than PCP and has the highest affinity of the three isomeric anisyl-substitutions, followed by 2-MeO-PCP and 4-MeO-PCP. Though 3-MeO-PCP is often described as having opioid or dopaminergic activity, this supposition is contradicted by data showing 3-MeO-PCP to be a potent and selective ligand for the NMDA receptor without appreciable affinity for the µ-opioid receptor or dopamine transporter. 3-MeO-PCP was preceded by the less potent dissociative 4-MeO-PCP and first became available as a research chemical in 2011.
3-MeO-PCP hydrochloride is a white crystalline solid with a melting point of 204-205 °C
3-MeO-PCP has a Ki of 20 nM for the NMDA receptor, 216 nM for the serotonin transporter and 42 for the sigma1 receptor
Legality
On October 18, 2012 the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs in the United Kingdom released a report about methoxetamine, saying that the "harms of methoxetamine are commensurate with Class B of the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971)", despite the fact that the act does not classify drugs based on harm. The report went on to suggest that all analogues of MXE should also become class B drugs and suggested a catch-all clause covering both existing and unresearched arylcyclohexamines, including 3-MeO-PCP.
Sweden's public health agency suggested classifying 3-MeO-PCP as hazardous substance on November 10, 2014.
3-MeO-PCP is banned in the Czech Republic.