Chemistry:N-Methyltryptamine

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Short description: Chemical compound


N-Methyltryptamine
Clinical data
Other namesNMT; Methyltryptamine; N-MT; Monomethyltryptamine; Dipterine; PAL-152; PAL152
Routes of
administration
Smoking, oral (with an MAOI)[1][2][3]
Drug classNon-selective serotonin receptor agonist; Serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonist; Serotonergic psychedelic; Hallucinogen
Legal status
Legal status
  • US: Schedule I (isomer of AMT)
Pharmacokinetic data
Duration of actionSeconds to minutes[1][2][3]
Identifiers
CAS Number
PubChem CID
ChemSpider
UNII
KEGG
ChEBI
ChEMBL
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC11H14N2
Molar mass174.247 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
Melting point87 to 89 °C (189 to 192 °F)
  (verify)

N-Methyltryptamine (NMT), also known as monomethyltryptamine, is a chemical compound of the tryptamine family and a naturally occurring compound found in the human body and certain plants.

It is biosynthesized in humans from tryptamine by certain N-methyltransferase enzymes, such as indolethylamine N-methyltransferase.[4][5] It is a known component in human urine.[6] NMT is an alkaloid derived from L-tryptophan that has been found in the bark, shoots and leaves of several plant genera, including Virola, Acacia, Mimosa, and Desmanthus—often together with the related compounds N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT).[7]

NMT acts as a serotonin receptor agonist and serotonin releasing agent[8] and is said to produce hallucinogenic effects in humans.[1][2][3]

Use and effects

Orally administered NMT appears to produce no psychoactive effects, likely as a result of extensive first-pass metabolism.[9]

According to Roger W. Brimblecombe and colleagues, NMT is inactive in humans, with few details provided.[10] On the other hand, according to Alexander Shulgin and others, NMT is active via non-oral routes.[1][2][3] It has been said to produce psychedelic effects at doses of 50 to 120 mg by smoking or vaporization, with a duration of seconds to minutes.[1][2][3] Based on preliminary reports, NMT is reported to produce visuals, but its effects are described as primarily spatial in nature, among other effects.[1][2][3]

NMT has also been reported to be orally active in combination with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI).[2][3]

Interactions

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

NMT is known to act as a potent serotonin 5-HT2A receptor full agonist (EC50 = 50.7 nM; Emax = 96%).[8] It has been reported to be inactive in activating the β-arrestin pathway of the receptor and hence appears to be a biased agonist of the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor.[8] The drug is not an agonist of the serotonin 5-HT1A receptor.[8]

In addition to its serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonism, NMT is a potent serotonin releasing agent (EC50 = 22.4 nM).[8] It also releases dopamine and norepinephrine much more weakly (EC50 = 321 nM and 733 nM, respectively; 14- and 33-fold less than for serotonin, respectively).[8]

Chemistry

Analogues

Analogues of NMT include N-ethyltryptamine (NET) and dimethyltryptamine (DMT), among others.[1]

Natural occurrence

NMT is naturally occurring in Acacia species like Acacia confusa (1.63%; Buchanan et al., 2007), Acacia obtusifolia (up to two-thirds of total alkaloid content), and Acacia simplicifolia (A. simplex; 1.44% in bark, 0.29% twigs; Pouet et al., 1976) and Desmanthus illinoensis (major component seasonally).

Society and culture

United States

In the United States, NMT is considered a schedule 1 controlled substance as an positional isomer of α-methyltryptamine (AMT).[11]

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 TiHKAL: The Continuation. Berkeley: Transform Press. 1997. "To my knowledge there have been no reports of oral activity of NMT, although its wide availability from botanic sources has encouraged some explorers to assay it. I have had one report that the smoking of 50–100 mg gave visuals that lasted for maybe 15 seconds." 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Nen (4 December 2011). "Entheogenic effects of NMT from Acacia". Entheogenesis Australis (EGA) Conference, Victoria, Australia, 2–5 December 2011. https://www.dmt-nexus.me/forum/default.aspx?g=posts&m=300323&%23post300323. Retrieved 15 April 2025. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Nen (13 July 2013). "NMT: A Spatial Hallucinogen With Therapeutic Applications". Breaking Convention: The Second Multidisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Consciousness, University of Greenwich, London, 12–14 July 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98WXxyb2u4A. 
  4. "A renaissance in trace amines inspired by a novel GPCR family". Trends in Pharmacological Sciences 26 (5): 274–281. May 2005. doi:10.1016/j.tips.2005.03.007. PMID 15860375. 
  5. "The mysterious trace amines: protean neuromodulators of synaptic transmission in mammalian brain". Progress in Neurobiology 79 (5–6): 223–246. August 2006. doi:10.1016/j.pneurobio.2006.07.003. PMID 16962229. 
  6. "Determination of potentially hallucinogenic N-dimethylated indoleamines in human urine by HPLC/ESI-MS-MS". Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation 61 (7): 547–56. 2001. doi:10.1080/003655101753218319. PMID 11763413. 
  7. Ott, Jonathan (1996). Pharmacotheon: Entheogenic Drugs, Their Plant Sources and History. Natural Products Company. ISBN 978-0-9614234-8-3. https://books.google.com/books?id=VMjwAAAAMAAJ. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 "Interaction of psychoactive tryptamines with biogenic amine transporters and serotonin receptor subtypes". Psychopharmacology (Berl) 231 (21): 4135–4144. October 2014. doi:10.1007/s00213-014-3557-7. PMID 24800892. 
  9. "Hallucinogens, Stimulatants, and Drugs of Abuse". Foye's Principles of Medicinal Chemistry (5th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 2002. p. 439. ISBN 9780683307375. https://books.google.com/books?id=qLJ6Bs1Qml4C&q=NMT&pg=PA439. 
  10. "Indolealkylamines and Related Compounds". Hallucinogenic Agents. Bristol: Wright-Scientechnica. 1975. pp. 98–144. ISBN 978-0-85608-011-1. OCLC 2176880. https://bitnest.netfirms.com/external/Books/978-0-85608-011-1. "N-Monoalkyltryptamines resemble the unsubstituted tryptamines in being good substrates for amine oxidases (Erspamer, 1955), a property which is reflected in their relatively poor hallucinogenic activity as compared to their N,N-dialkyl analogues. Thus, neither tryptamine nor its N-methyl derivative, both of which are oxidatively deaminated in rats to free (and conjugated) indole-3-acetic acids to the extent of 84·6 and 35·7 per cent respectively, produce behavioural changes in animals or man, whereas N,N-dimethyltryptamine, which is but little affected by amine oxidases, is a potent hallucinogen." 
  11. "Orange Book - List of Controlled Substances and Regulated Chemicals". August 2023. https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/orangebook/orangebook.pdf. 

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