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Essay / History of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) Use in Society -25, has long been considered one of the most powerful hallucinogens in the world. The study reviewed in 2017 was the first to be able to obtain an X-ray crystallography image of LSD bound to the serotonin 5-HT2B receptor. The X-ray crystallography image gives us an in-depth look at the conformational changes within the 5-HT2B receptor. It has long been thought that the Diethylamide moiety of LSD is the key to its long residence time within the serotonin receptor; however, the image was able to distinguish an extracellular domain of the serotonin receptor that folds on top of the serotonin receptor when LSD is bound; forming a lid and denying the LSD's ability to dissociate. The “EL2” lid as well as the specific interactions of the binding of the diethylamide group of LSD to helices III, V, VII of the 5-HT2B receptor provide explanations for the intense and long-lasting effects of LSD. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayIntroduction Hallucinogens come in many forms and have had a place in human history since the dawn of time. Over the past several decades, society has determined that hallucinogens have no recreational or medicinal value and pose a threat to our safety. Fortunately, thanks to scientific progress; neurologist and psychologist consider that we are in a mental health renaissance, and once again the place of hallucinogens in society is being called into question. LSD, more formally known as lysergic acid diethylamide-25, was first synthesized by a Swedish chemist named Albert Hoffman in 1938. The project initially aimed to further expand the arsenal of derivatives of the acid lysergic partially synthesized from the ergot fungus, where they act as a vasoconstrictor agent and are therefore used in the treatment of migraines. LSD-25 was the 25th product of this project and this is where its name derives. It was not until 1943 that Albert Hoffman unknowingly ingested a tiny amount of LSD and experienced mild but pronounced effects. Three days later, Albert Hoffman intentionally ingested 250 mcg of LSD-25, a dose he initially expected to be the threshold, and experienced the first "acid trip" while cycling home; a ride that will forever be remembered as bike day. To better understand the short history of LSD in society, you should know that although the original intention was to develop more migraine medications, LSD was patented by Sandoz Laboratories in 1947 as a psychiatric drug. The government even had a vested interest in the 1950s, when the CIA conducted Project MK-ULTRA in an attempt to achieve complete mind control and/or truth serum for use in chemical warfare. The patent held by Sandoz Laboratories expired in 1963, leading to large-scale production and distribution that contributed to the rise of the hippie-led "protest" movement of the 1960s. This movement was the nail in the coffin that led President Nixon to craft the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, which categorized drugs based on their addictive potential, safety, and potential medical applications. In this act, LSD was placed in the highest category, Schedule I, which is shared with heroin as having ahigh potential for dependence and no medical value. Understanding serotonergic interactions is an important goal for pharmaceuticals, as they are known to be involved in a wide range of biological functions. In the CNS, these processes include, but are not limited to, modulation of mood, cognition, learning, memory, aggression, eating behavior, sleep, and food processing. pain. In the PNS, they have been attributed to mediating smooth muscle contraction, platelet aggregation, and gastrointestinal function. Finally, there is the release of many neurotransmitters and hormones regulated by serotonergic receptors and therefore a true understanding of their mechanism would help future medicine. Pharmacodynamics LSD acts on serotonergic receptors found in both the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. Specifically, LSD acts among the 5-HT (5-hydroxytryptamine) family of G protein-coupled receptors (GCPRs) as a non-selective agonist for seven of the subclass receptors. LSD is also an atypical serotonergic hallucinogen because it also acts via dopamine D1-D5 receptors and adrenergic receptors. One of the most fundamental rules of chemistry and biology is that structure is one of the main influencing factors on the function of a molecule. In this context, it is important to compare the structures of the endogenous neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine to those of hallucinogenic agonists. Serotonin shares a much more similar structure to LSD than dopamine due to the lack of an indole ring in dopamine. For this reason, LSD's interactions with the serotonin receptor are more pronounced and have been studied more thoroughly than those of the dopamine receptor. This is why the rest of the article will focus on the interactions of LSD with the serotonin 5-HT receptor. GCPRs are usually found in their Gs (stimulatory) or Gi (inhibitory) pathways. However, there is also the Gq (Independent) pathway which is the preferred pathway for 5HT receptors. In this cascade, a ligand binds that activates GCPR via a conformational change that allows the exchange of GDP for GTP on the alpha subunit. This subunit is mobilized when GTP is attached and works on its effector enzyme, Phospholipase C (PLC) which allows the hydrolysis of PIP2 to DAG and IP3. IP3 dissociates from the membrane and acts as a ligand at the endoplasmic reticulum to release calcium. Both calcium and DAG are important intermediates, as DAG will activate Phospho Kinase C (PKC) which acts alone to phosphorylate other enzymes which have a range of effects depending on the enzyme affected. As well as calcium which acts as a secondary messenger to initiate and modify other cellular responses. EL2 Lid on 5-HT2B It has long been thought that the Diethylamide moiety is responsible for the unique characteristics of LSD as well as its long residence time within the receptor. In January 2017, the first image of the 5HT2B receptor was successfully documented and was able to compare the conformational changes induced by LSD and ergotamine, a popular antimigraine agent that acts through vasoconstriction in the brain. It was found that when LSD is bound to the 5HT-2B receptor, an extracellular domain of the receptor folds over the LSD and denies its ability to associate, known as extracellular loop 2 (EL2). This helps explain why LSD has a half-life of 3.6 hours, while hallucinogenic trips are known to last 8 to 16 hours. X-ray crystallography was able to show that the L209 side chain of..
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