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Metabolic fate of mescaline in man

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Summary

Human subjects given C14-mescaline by mouth excrete an average of 87% of the dose during the first 24 hours and an average of 92% during the first 48 hours. Average half-life of mescaline in six hours.

The composition of the urine in respect to the various metabolites of mescaline from hour to hour has been determined. The concentration of mescaline and its metabolites in the plasma and the cerebrospinal fluid at the various times has also been determined.

Mescaline, 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylacetic acid, N-acetyl-β-(3,4-dimethoxy-5-hydroxyphenyl) ethylamine and N-acetyl-mescaline have been identified in human urine after mescaline administration in the following amounts: mescaline 55–60%, 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylacetic acid 27–30%, N-acetyl-β-(3,4,dimethoxy-5-hydroxyphenyl) ethylamine 5% and N-acetylmescaline less than 0.1%. Five other metabolites have been partially characterized.

Chromatographic evidence is presented for the presence of mescaline, 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylacetic acid, N-acetylmescaline and N-acetyl-β-(3,4-dimethoxy-5-hydroxyphenyl) ethylamine in the cerebrospinal fluid in man after oral mescaline administration.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Baylor University College of Medicine, USA

    K. D. Charalampous, K. E. Walker & John Kinross-Wright

  2. Houston State Psychiatric Institute, USA

    K. D. Charalampous, K. E. Walker & John Kinross-Wright

Authors
  1. K. D. Charalampous
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  2. K. E. Walker
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  3. John Kinross-Wright
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Additional information

This investigation was supported in part by Public Health Service Research Grant, MH-10777, from the National Institute of Mental Health.

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Charalampous, K.D., Walker, K.E. & Kinross-Wright, J. Metabolic fate of mescaline in man. Psychopharmacologia 9, 48–63 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00427703

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