New vaccine could help people overcome "BATH SALTS" abuse

BATH SALTS

Researchers have developed a vaccine for one of the most dangerous types of synthetic cathinones, or bath salts. The vaccine blunts the illegal stimulant's effects on the brain, which could help recovering drug users who experience a relapse

Synthetic cathinones are stimulants made to mimic the stimulate effects found in the khat plant. The most powerful compounds in this drug class can produce deadly overdoses as well as life-threatening side effects such as organ failure.The new vaccine targets two very potent synthetic cathinones known as methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (alpha-PVP). "Because the chemical structures of these illegal drugs are often changed to evade drug laws, we decided it was important to develop a single vaccine that will be effective against more than one medically dangerous synthetic cathinone," said McClenahan. Results from the new study showed that rodents receiving the vaccine produced high amounts of antibodies that attached tightly to MDPV and alpha-PVP in the blood stream. This immune response was able to decrease the stimulant effects of MDPV for months. The researchers observed that vaccinated rats exhibited significantly less MDPV-induced movement and significantly shortened MDPV-induced activity compared to untreated rats.