EGX-B 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 An agonist is a chemical that activates a Receptor (biochemistry), receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are Cell (biology), cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an R ...

and putative

serotonergic psychedelic 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 halluci ...

which is under development for the treatment of

depressive disorder A mood disorder, also known as an affective disorder, is any of a group of conditions of mental disorder, mental and Abnormal behavior, behavioral Disorder (medicine), disorder where the main underlying characteristic is a disturbance in the per ...

s. It acts as a agonist of the serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor, shows high

selectivity Selectivity may refer to: Psychology and behaviour * Choice, making a selection among options * Discrimination, the ability to recognize differences * Socioemotional selectivity theory, in social psychology Engineering * Selectivity (radio), a ...

(>100-fold) for the serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor over the serotonin 5-HT_2B receptor, is much more potent as a serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor agonist than

psilocin Psilocin, also known as 4-hydroxy-''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine (4-HO-DMT), is a substituted tryptamine alkaloid and a serotonergic psychedelic. It is present in most psychedelic mushrooms together with its phosphorylated counterpart psilocy ...

, and 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 ...

, a behavioral proxy of psychedelic effects, in rodents. The drug is being developed by atai Life Sciences and EntheogeniX Biosciences. As of December 2023, it is in the

preclinical research In drug development, preclinical development (also termed preclinical studies or nonclinical studies) is a stage of research that begins before clinical trials (testing in humans) and during which important feasibility, iterative testing and dr ...

stage of development.

References

External links

Data from our novel EGX series shows translational antidepressant-like effects, similar to those seen with psilocybin - atai Life Sciences (November 21, 2023) - LinkedIn
5-HT2A agonists Drugs with undisclosed chemical structures Experimental antidepressants Experimental hallucinogens {{Hallucinogen-stub

See also

References

External links