4-MTA

Problems may sometimes arise when a new synthetic illicit drug appears on the "street" that may be sold as ecstasy. It may take many months before the identity of any new agent is confirmed, which can cause problems when there are cases of "overdosage" or deaths. A recent example of this problem was the appearance of 4-thiomethylamphetamine (4-MTA) which was sold as ecstasy across Europe, particularly in the UK in the late 1990s. 4-MTA was responsible for several deaths across the UK and may have been reponsible for others where the identity of the drug had not been confirmed. Positive identification of this drug in a series of cases across Europe was able to establish that 4-MTA had an acute toxicity profile quite different to ecstasy itself and 4-MTA has now been put on a list of banned substances across the European Community. 

MTA, or 4-methylthioamphetamine, is a synthetic stimulant that is chemically similar to amphetamines and Ecstasy. Studies claim that 4-MTA is about 6 to 33 times stronger than Ecstasy. 

MTA was first produced in 1992. Developed by Purdue University chemistry professor David Nichols,... 

MTA is usually sold as a cream-colored tablet or pill. It is either swallowed in pill form or ground into a powder and snorted. In rare cases, it is mixed with liquid and injected. The usual dose is around 125 milligrams. 

There are severe physical risks with using 4-MTA. It is particularly risky to use 4-MTA with other drugs, such as Ecstasy and cocaine. Whether used alone or in combination with other drugs, 4-MTA has been known to cause dangerous cases of hyperthermia that can lead to organ failure and even death. In fact, at least 15 deaths... 

The Expert Advisory Committee on Drugs (EACD). "4-Methylthioamphetamine (4-MTA)." National Drug Policy A Policy for New Zealand, 1998-2003 (October 2002). 

Winstock, A.R., K. Wolff, and J. Ramsey. "4-MTA A New Synthetic Drug on the Dance Scene." Drug and Alcohol Dependence (July 1,2002). 

From its Slite works, Cementa AB has been supplying a district heating scheme for a neighbouring village since 1984, generating aimual heat sales of some 15 GWh from the waste heat of its No 8 kiln, a 1.4 mta capacity line, utilising waste heat from the grate cooler. Total investment costs to develop this system are put at US 2.0 million and by 1990 the net profit of the project are Forecast at about US 0.5 million per... 

There are 3 preheater kilns with a total capacity of 2.0 mta. In this project we concentrated on the biggest unit (Kiln No 8) with an output of 1.4 mta. 

Fig, 7. Pathways for the metabolism of methionine to 5 -methylthioadenosine (MTA) and recycling of MTA to methionine. Methionine can serve as a carbon source for the synthesis of polyamines and, in some tissues, ethylene. 5 -Methylthioadenosine is a product of both processes. Only the methylthio group of methionine is recycled, the C4 moiety for the resynthesis of methionine being derived from the ribosyl moiety of ATP. The enzymes involved are (1) SAM synthetase, (2) SAM decarboxylase, (3) various C3 transfer enzymes of polyamine biosynthesis, (4) MTA nucleosidase, (5) methylthioribose kinase, (6) three( ) uncharacterized enzymes, (7) aminotransferase, and (8) aminocyciopropane carboxylate synthase. 

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