DET, also known under its chemical name ''N'',''N''-diethyltryptamine and as T-9, is a

psychedelic drug Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary mental states (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips") and a perceived "expansion of consciousness". Also referred to as classic halluc ...

closely related to DMT and 4-HO-DET. DET, alongside DMT, was placed into the UN Schedule 1 list of illegal drugs in the 1970s, and is uncommon now.

Use

DET is active at an oral dose of around 50 to 100mg and the effects last for about 2 to 4hours.

Interactions

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

The mechanism of action of DET is thought to be

serotonin receptor 5-HT receptors, 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors, or serotonin receptors, are a group of G protein-coupled receptor and ligand-gated ion channels found in multiple tissues including the central and peripheral nervous systems. They mediate both ex ...

agonism Agonism (from Greek 'struggle') is a political and social theory that emphasizes the potentially positive aspects of certain forms of conflict. It accepts a permanent place for such conflict in the political sphere, but seeks to show how indivi ...

, much like other classic psychedelics. It is a

serotonin Serotonin (), also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is a monoamine neurotransmitter with a wide range of functions in both the central nervous system (CNS) and also peripheral tissues. It is involved in mood, cognition, reward, learning, ...

5-HT_2A receptor agonist. The drug produces the

head-twitch response The head-twitch response (HTR), also sometimes known as wet dog shakes (WDS) in rats, is a rapid side-to-side head movement that occurs in mice and rats in association with serotonin 5-HT2A receptor activation. Serotonergic psychedelics like lys ...

in rodents, a behavioral proxy of psychedelic-like effects.

Pharmacokinetics

Unlike DMT, DET is orally active as it is not subject to extensive metabolism by

monoamine oxidase A Monoamine oxidase A, also known as MAO-A, is an enzyme ( E.C. 1.4.3.4) that in humans is encoded by the ''MAOA'' gene. This gene is one of two neighboring gene family members that encode mitochondrial enzymes which catalyze the oxidative dea ...

. This may be due to the increased steric bulk of the N-ethyl substituents relative to the respective methyl groups of DMT. This is also true for many other tryptamines with larger nitrogen substituents.

Chemistry

DET is a

homolog In biology, homology is similarity in anatomical structures or genes between organisms of different taxa due to shared ancestry, ''regardless'' of current functional differences. Evolutionary biology explains homologous structures as retained her ...

of the common

tryptamine Tryptamine is an indolamine metabolite of the essential amino acid tryptophan. The chemical structure is defined by an indole—a fused benzene and pyrrole ring, and a 2-aminoethyl group at the second carbon (third aromatic atom, with the firs ...

hallucinogen ''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine (DMT).

History

DET was first described in the

scientific literature Scientific literature encompasses a vast body of academic papers that spans various disciplines within the natural and social sciences. It primarily consists of academic papers that present original empirical research and theoretical ...

by 1959. It was first synthesized by

Stephen Szára Stephen István Szára (March 21, 1923 – August 1, 2021) was a Hungarian-American chemist and psychiatrist who made major contributions in the field of pharmacology. Life in Hungary Szára was born in Pestújhely, Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1 ...

and was assessed pharmacologically by Borsi and Lenart.

Society and culture

Legal status

International

Internationally DET is a Schedule I drug under the

Convention on Psychotropic Substances The Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 is a United Nations treaty designed to control psychoactive drugs such as amphetamine-type stimulants, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and psychedelics signed in Vienna, Austria on 21 February ...

Australia

DET is considered a Schedule 9 prohibited substance in Australia under the Poisons Standard (October 2015). A Schedule 9 substance is a substance which may be abused or misused, the manufacture, possession, sale or use of which should be prohibited by law except when required for medical or scientific research, or for analytical, teaching or training purposes with approval of Commonwealth and/or State or Territory Health Authorities.

Research

Psychosis model

Early studies of DET as well as other psychedelics were focused on their presumed psychotomimetic properties. Researchers theorized that abnormal

metabolite In biochemistry, a metabolite is an intermediate or end product of metabolism. The term is usually used for small molecules. Metabolites have various functions, including fuel, structure, signaling, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, c ...

s of endogenous chemicals such as

, and

tryptophan Tryptophan (symbol Trp or W) is an α-amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. Tryptophan contains an α-amino group, an α-carboxylic acid group, and a side chain indole, making it a polar molecule with a non-polar aromat ...

could be the explanation for

mental disorder A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

s such as

schizophrenia Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...

, or

psychosis In psychopathology, psychosis is a condition in which a person is unable to distinguish, in their experience of life, between what is and is not real. Examples of psychotic symptoms are delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized or inco ...

. With the progression of science and

pharmacological Pharmacology is the science of drugs and medications, including a substance's origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic use, and toxicology. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between ...

understanding, this belief has been dismissed by most researchers.

Mushroom production

Although DET is a

synthetic Synthetic may refer to: Science * Synthetic biology * Synthetic chemical or compound, produced by the process of chemical synthesis * Synthetic elements, chemical elements that are not naturally found on Earth and therefore have to be created in ...

compound with no known natural sources, it has been used in conjunction with the

mycelium Mycelium (: mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Its normal form is that of branched, slender, entangled, anastomosing, hyaline threads. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are fo ...

of ''

Psilocybe cubensis ''Psilocybe cubensis'', commonly known as the magic mushroom, shroom, golden halo, golden teacher, cube, or gold cap, is a species of psilocybin mushroom of moderate potency whose principal Psychoactive compound, active compounds are psilocybin ...

'' to biosynthetically produce the chemicals ethocybin (4-PO-DET) and ethocin (4-HO-DET). Isolation of the alkaloids resulted in 3.3% ethocybin and 0.01-0.8% ethocin.

References

External links

DET - Isomer Design

Erowid DET Vault

DET entry in TiHKAL

DET entry in TiHKAL • info
{{Tryptamines 5-HT2A agonists Designer drugs N,N-Dialkyltryptamines Diethylamino compounds Psychedelic tryptamines Serotonin receptor agonists

Use