Adrenochrome

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Contents

Adrenochrome
Adrenochrom.svg
Adrenochrome 3D ball.png
Names
IUPAC name
3-Hydroxy-1-methyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-indole-5,6-dione
Other names
Adraxone; Pink adrenaline
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEBI
ChEMBL
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.000.176 OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
EC Number
PubChem CID
UNII
  • InChI=1S/C9H9NO3/c1-10-4-9(13)5-2-7(11)8(12)3-6(5)10/h2-3,9,13H,4H2,1H3 Yes check.svgY
    Key: RPHLQSHHTJORHI-UHFFFAOYSA-N Yes check.svgY
  • (racemic):InChI=1/C9H9NO3/c1-10-4-9(13)5-2-7(11)8(12)3-6(5)10/h2-3,9,13H,4H2,1H3
    Key: RPHLQSHHTJORHI-UHFFFAOYAD
  • (racemic):O=C1\C=C2/C(=C\C1=O)N(CC2O)C
Properties
C9H9NO3
Molar mass 179.175 g·mol−1
Appearancedeep-violet [1]
Density 3.785 g/cm3
Boiling point 115–120 °C (239–248 °F; 388–393 K) (decomposes)
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
X mark.svgN  verify  (what is  Yes check.svgYX mark.svgN ?)

Adrenochrome is a chemical compound produced by the oxidation of adrenaline (epinephrine). It was the subject of limited research from the 1950s through to the 1970s as a potential cause of schizophrenia. While it has no current medical application, the semicarbazide derivative, carbazochrome, is a hemostatic medication.

Despite this compound's name, it is unrelated to the element chromium; instead, the ‑chrome suffix indicates a relationship to color, as pure adrenochrome has a deep violet coloration. [1]

Chemistry

The oxidation reaction that converts adrenaline into adrenochrome occurs both in vivo and in vitro . Silver oxide (Ag2O) was among the first reagents employed for this, [2] but a variety of other oxidising agents have been used successfully. [3] In solution, adrenochrome is pink and further oxidation of the compound causes it to polymerize into brown or black melanin compounds. [4]

History

An adrenochrome ampoule Adrenochrome.jpg
An adrenochrome ampoule

Several small-scale studies (involving 15 or fewer test subjects) conducted in the 1950s and 1960s reported that adrenochrome triggered psychotic reactions such as thought disorder and derealization. [5]

In 1954, researchers Abram Hoffer and Humphry Osmond claimed that adrenochrome is a neurotoxic, psychotomimetic substance and may play a role in schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. [6]

In what Hoffer called the "adrenochrome hypothesis", [7] he and Osmond in 1967 speculated that megadoses of vitamin C and niacin could cure schizophrenia by reducing brain adrenochrome. [8] [9]

The treatment of schizophrenia with such potent anti-oxidants is highly contested. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association reported methodological flaws in Hoffer's work on niacin as a schizophrenia treatment and referred to follow-up studies that did not confirm any benefits of the treatment. [10] Multiple additional studies in the United States, [11] Canada, [12] and Australia [13] similarly failed to find benefits of megavitamin therapy to treat schizophrenia.

The adrenochrome theory of schizophrenia waned, despite some evidence that it may be psychotomimetic, as adrenochrome was not detectable in people with schizophrenia.[ citation needed ]

In the early 2000s, interest was renewed by the discovery that adrenochrome may be produced normally as an intermediate in the formation of neuromelanin. [5] This finding may be significant because adrenochrome is detoxified at least partially by glutathione-S-transferase. Some studies have found genetic defects in the gene for this enzyme. [14]

Adrenochrome is also believed to have cardiotoxic properties. [15] [16]

Related Research Articles

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References

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