PubChem CID 17757315 ChEMBL CHEMBL3303514 3D model (Jmol) Interactive image | ChemSpider 34245583 Formula C16H17NO2 Molar mass 255.31 g/mol | |
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UWA-001 (also known as α-phenyl-MDMA and methylenedioxymephenidine) is a phenethylamine derivative invented at the University of Western Australia as non-toxic alternative to 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA) and researched as a potential treatment for Parkinson's disease.
It has a 5-HT2A receptor affinity of 1.2 μM (∼10-fold increase compared to MDMA), 1.3 μM for the serotonin transporter (∼4-fold decrease compared to MDMA), 13.4 μM for the norepinephrine transporter (∼26-fold increase compared to MDMA) and virtually no affinity for the dopamine transporter (>50 μM).
Unlike MDMA and para-methoxyamphetamine (but similarly to ketamine), UWA-001 increases prepulse inhibition and was therefore considered to be non-psychoactive, though it was not assayed at other binding sites. It is toxic to the SH-SY5Y cell line at high concentrations, however significantly less toxic than MDMA at all concentrations tested.
UWA-001 is structurally related to the diarylethylamines lefetamine (a stimulant and opioid) and the dissociative anesthetic ephenidine, which acts as a NMDA receptor antagonist.