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Pharmacology

Uncoupling the agony from ecstasy

Nature volume 426, pages 403–404 (2003)Cite this article

A mitochondrial protein may mediate a dangerous side-effect of some recreational drugs.

Abstract

The recreational use of amphetamine-type stimulants can produce a marked and sometimes lethal increase in body temperature. Here we show that mice deficient in a mitochondrial protein known as UCP-3 (for 'uncoupling protein-3') have a diminished thermogenic response to the drug MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, nicknamed 'ecstasy') and so are protected against this dangerously toxic effect. Our findings indicate that UCP-3 is important in MDMA-induced hyperthermia and point to a new therapeutic direction for solving an increasing public-health problem.

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Figure 1
Figure 2: Mice deficient in the mitochondrial uncoupling protein UCP-3 (UCP-3−/− mice) are protected against the hyperthermic effects of the drug MDMA.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cardiovascular Branch, NHLBI, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, 20892-1622, Maryland, USA

    Edward M. Mills & Toren Finkel

  2. Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Ohio Northern University, Ada, 45810, Ohio, USA

    Matthew L. Banks & Jon E. Sprague

Authors
  1. Edward M. Mills
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  2. Matthew L. Banks
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  3. Jon E. Sprague
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  4. Toren Finkel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jon E. Sprague.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Mills, E., Banks, M., Sprague, J. et al. Uncoupling the agony from ecstasy. Nature 426, 403–404 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/426403a

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