Benzimidazole opioids, also known as nitazenes, are a class of synthetic opioids with an unusual benzimidazole structure often referred to as "opioid New Psychoactive Substances", or "opioid NPS". [1] [2] First synthesized in the 1950s by CIBA Pharmaceuticals as potential analgesic medications, several substances in the class have been identified, the best known being etonitazene. [1] Like other synthetic opioids, benzimidazole opioids bind the mu-opioid receptor and may exhibit potency up to several hundred times that of morphine. While several substances in this class have found applications in research, they have never been used in clinical medicine due to their profound risk of respiratory depression and death. [3] In the early 2020s, the substance has been recognized as emerging drugs of abuse. [4] [5] [6] Isotonitazine was first identified in samples of illicit drugs, and implicated in opioid overdose deaths in Europe, Canada, and the United States beginning in 2019. [7] Previously known nitazene analogs such as metonitazine and butonitazine, as well as novel nitazenes not previously patented, have since been discovered in toxicologic samples during forensic investigations. [6] Nitazene analogs have been found in pills missold as other drugs, such as benzodiazepines, in the United Kingdom [8] and New Zealand. [9]
The structure-activity relationship of the drug class has been explored to a reasonable extent. The optimal substitution pattern is fairly tightly defined (i.e. N,N-diethyl on the amine nitrogen, 4-ethoxy on the benzyl ring and 5-nitro on the benzimidazole ring), but even derivatives incorporating only some of these features are still potent opioids. If a methyl or carboxamide group is added on the alpha carbon of the benzyl group, or the benzyl is replaced by 2-phenylethyl, compounds of similar activity are obtained. Relative analgesic activity values are derived from tests on mice and cannot be extrapolated directly to humans, though the same general activity trends apply. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [ excessive citations ]
A 2019 publication [22] has shown the possibility the previously assumed binding position of the benzimidazole class, [23] acting as a semi-rigid fentanyl analogue may be incorrect. Based on a large scale analysis of known opioid receptor ligands a template was created through manual overlaying and alignment which has identified several mu-specific areas within the receptor. In this analysis, it is noted, etonitazene now more closely matches another, separate mu-specific region, sharing only a small area in common with the fentanyl class.
In the UK, nitazene abuse emerged in 2023 as an important cause of drug-overdose death, with it being linked to 54 deaths over a 6-month period. [24] Most of the deaths have occurred outside of London, the source of supply is thought to be by post from laboratories in China, and some of the deaths have been associated by the mislabelling of nitazenes as fentanyl.
Chemical structure | Drug name | Ring substitution | Analgesic potency (morphine = 1) | PubChem | CAS number |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Desnitazene (1-diethylaminoethyl-2-benzyl-benzimidazole) | hydrogen | 0.1 | 28787 | 17817-67-3 |
![]() | Metodesnitazene (Metazene) | 4-methoxy | 1 | 26412 | 14030-77-4 1071546-40-1 (HCl) |
![]() | Metodesnitazepyne | 4-methoxy | |||
![]() | Etodesnitazene (Etazene) | 4-ethoxy | 70 | 149797386 | 14030-76-3 |
![]() | Etodesnitazepyne | 4-ethoxy | 20 | 162623599 | |
![]() | Etodesnitazepipne | 4-ethoxy | 10 | 162623611 | 102762-98-1 |
![]() | Protodesnitazene | 4-(n-propoxy) | 10 | 157010653 | 805212-21-9 |
![]() | Isotodesnitazene | 4-isopropoxy | ~75 | 162623708 | 2732926-27-9 |
![]() | Nitazene | hydrogen | 2 | 15327524 | |
![]() | meta-Metonitazene | 3-methoxy | 2 | ||
![]() | Metonitazene | 4-methoxy | 100 | 53316366 | 14680-51-4 |
![]() | Metonitazepyne | 4-methoxy | |||
![]() | Metonitazepipne | 4-methoxy | |||
![]() | N-Desethylmetonitazene | 4-methoxy | |||
![]() | Metomethazene | 4-methoxy | |||
![]() | Dimetonitazene | 3,4-dimethoxy | 10 | 162623836 | |
![]() | α-methyl-metonitazene | 4-methoxy | 50 | 162625089 | 806634-80-0 |
![]() | Metonitazene phenethyl homologue (Ethylene metonitazene) | 4-methoxy | 50 | ||
![]() | Etonitazene | 4-ethoxy | 1000-1500 | 13493 | 911-65-9 |
![]() | O-Desethyl-etonitazene | 4-hydroxy | 1 | 156588969 | 94758-81-3 |
![]() | N-Desethyletonitazene (NDE) | 4-ethoxy | 1000/1500-2000 | 162623580 | 2732926-26-8 |
![]() | Etonitazene 5-amino metabolite | 4-ethoxy | 2 | 13408927 | |
![]() | Etomethazene | 4-ethoxy | 20 | 168310446 | 95293-25-7 |
![]() | Etonitazene 5-trifluoromethyl analogue (Etotriflazene) [25] | 4-ethoxy | 21815908 | ||
![]() | Etonitazene 5-cyano analogue (Etocyanazene) [26] | 4-ethoxy | 27268 | 15419-87-1 | |
![]() | Etonitazene 5-acetyl analogue (Etoacetazene) [27] | 4-ethoxy | 25957 | 13406-60-5 | |
![]() | Etonitazene 5,6-dichloro analogue (Etodicloazene) | 4-ethoxy | |||
![]() | Etonitazene N,N-dimethyl analogue | 4-ethoxy | 20 | 67089584 | 714190-52-0 |
![]() | Etonitazepyne | 4-ethoxy | 180-190 | 155804760 | 2785346-75-8 |
![]() | Etonitazepipne | 4-ethoxy | 190 [28] | 162623834 | 734496-28-7 |
![]() | Etonitazene morpholine analogue | 4-ethoxy | 2 | 162623685 | 805958-08-1 |
![]() | Etonitazene 6-nitro isomer (iso-etonitazene) [29] | 4-ethoxy | 20 | 59799752 | 114160-61-1 |
![]() | Protonitazene | 4-(n-propoxy) | 200 | 156589001 | 119276-01-6 95958-84-2 |
![]() | Protonitazepyne | 4-(n-propoxy) | 180-190 | 168322728 | |
![]() | Protonitazepipne | 4-(n-propoxy) | |||
![]() | N-Desethylprotonitazene | 4-(n-propoxy) | |||
![]() | Isotonitazene | 4-isopropoxy | 500 | 145721979 | 14188-81-9 |
![]() | Isotonitazepyne | 4-isopropoxy | 168322631 | ||
![]() | Isotonitazepipne | 4-isopropoxy | |||
![]() | N-Desethylisotonitazene | 4-isopropoxy | 1000-2000 | 162623899 | 2732926-24-6 |
![]() | Butonitazene | 4-butoxy | 5 | 156588955 | 95810-54-1 |
![]() | Isobutonitazene | 4-isobutoxy | |||
![]() | Secbutonitazene | 4-secbutoxy | |||
![]() | Etoetonitazene | 4-ethoxyethoxy | 50 | 162623504 | 806642-21-7 |
![]() | Flunitazene | 4-fluoro | 1 | 156588967 | 2728-91-8 |
![]() | Clonitazene | 4-chloro | 3 | 62528 | 3861-76-5 |
![]() | α-carboxamido-clonitazene | 4-chloro | 3 | ||
![]() | Bronitazene | 4-bromo | 5 | 162623726 | |
![]() | Methylnitazene (Menitazene) | 4-methyl | 10 | 162623683 | 95282-00-1 |
![]() | Ethylnitazene (Enitazene) | 4-ethyl | 20 | 162623845 | |
![]() | Propylnitazene (Pronitazene) | 4-propyl | 50 | 162623877 | 700342-00-3 |
![]() | t-Butylnitazene | 4-(tert-butyl) | 2 | 162623621 | 805215-64-9 |
![]() | Acetoxynitazene | 4-acetoxy | 5 | 162623779 | 102760-24-7 |
![]() | Methylthionitazene | 4-methylthio | 50 | 162623790 | 102471-37-4 |
![]() | Ethylthionitazene | 4-ethylthio | 30 | 162623931 | 102758-70-3 |
![]() | Etodesnitazene phenylthio analogue | 4-ethoxy | 1 | 21045 | |
![]() | Etodesnitazene phenylthio / pyrrolidine analogue | 4-ethoxy | 2 | 19846499 | |
![]() | Methylenedioxynitazene [30] | 3,4-methylenedioxy | |||
![]() | Tetrahydrofuranitazene (Ethyleneoxynitazene) [31] | fused tetrahydrofuran | |||
Etonitazene, also known as EA-4941 or CS-4640, is a benzimidazole opioid, first reported in 1957, that has been shown to have approximately 1,000 to 1,500 times the potency of morphine in animals.
Ketobemidone, sold under the brand name Ketogan among others, is a powerful synthetic opioid painkiller. Its effectiveness against pain is in the same range as morphine, and it also has some NMDA-antagonist properties imparted, in part, by its metabolite norketobemidone. This may make it useful for some types of pain that do not respond well to other opioids. It is marketed in Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and is used for severe pain.
3-Methylfentanyl is an opioid analgesic that is an analog of fentanyl. 3-Methylfentanyl is one of the most potent opioids, estimated to be between 400 and 6000 times stronger than morphine, depending on which isomer is used.
Metofoline (INN), also known as methofoline (USAN), is an opioid analgesic drug discovered in the 1950s by a team of Swiss researchers at Hoffmann-La Roche.
Clonitazene is an opioid analgesic of approximately three times the potency of morphine. It is related to etonitazene, an opioid of significantly higher potency. Clonitazene is not currently marketed. It is a controlled substance; in the United States it is a Schedule I Narcotic controlled substance with a DEA ACSCN of 9612 and an established manufacturing quota of 25 grams for 2022.
BDPC is a potent fully synthetic opioid with a distinctive arylcyclohexylamine chemical structure. It was developed by Daniel Lednicer at Upjohn in the 1970s. Initial studies estimated that it was around 10,000 times the potency of morphine in animal models. However, later studies using more modern techniques assigned a value of 504 times the potency of morphine for the more active trans-isomer. This drug was first seized along with three kilograms of acetylfentanyl in an April 25, 2013 police action in Montreal, Canada, and has reportedly continued to be available on the designer drug market internationally. Analogues where the para-bromine is replaced by chlorine or a methyl group retain similar activity, while the meta-hydroxyl derivative demonstrated robust antagonist activity.
Metonitazene is an analgesic compound related to etonitazene, which was first reported in 1957, and has been shown to have approximately 1000 times the potency of morphine by central routes of administration, but if used orally it has been shown to have approximately 10 times the potency of morphine.
Gestonorone acetate, or gestronol acetate, also known as norhydroxyprogesterone acetate, is a progestin of the 19-norprogesterone and 17α-hydroxyprogesterone groups which was developed in the early 1960s but was never marketed. It is the C17α acetate ester of gestronol (17α-hydroxy-19-norprogesterone).
Isotonitazene is a benzimidazole-derived opioid analgesic drug related to etonitazene, which has been sold as a designer drug. It has only around half the potency of etonitazene in animal studies, but it is likely even less potent in humans as was seen with etonitazene. Isotonitazene was fully characterized in November 2019 in a paper where the authors performed a full analytical structure elucidation in addition to determination of the potency at the μ-opioid receptor using a biological functional assay in vitro. While isotonitazene was not compared directly to morphine in this assay, it was found to be around 2.5 times more potent than hydromorphone and slightly more potent than fentanyl.
Brorphine is a piperidine-based opioid analgesic compound. Brorphine was originally discovered in a 2018 paper investigating functionally biased opioid compounds, with the intention of finding safer analgesics that produce less respiratory depression than typical opioids. Brorphine was originally reported to be highly biased, with an EC50 of 4.8nM for GTPγS binding and 182nM for β-arrestin recruitment, however a more recent study found no significant bias for any of the compounds tested, including brorphine. Its safety profile in any animal model has never been established. Despite the lack of safety information on the compound, brorphine has been sold as a designer drug since mid-2019, initially being identified in the US Midwest, though it has since been found in 2020 in Belgium. It is related in chemical structure to compounds such as benzylfentanyl and bezitramide, though it is sufficiently structurally distinct to fall outside the formal definition of a "fentanyl analogue" in jurisdictions such as the US and New Zealand which have Markush structure controls over this family of drugs.
Etodesnitazene is a benzimidazole derived opioid analgesic drug, which was originally developed in the late 1950s alongside etonitazene and a range of related derivatives. It is many times less potent than etonitazene itself, but still 70x more potent than morphine in animal studies. Corresponding analogues where the N,N-diethyl group is replaced by piperidine or pyrrolidine rings also retain significant activity. Etodesnitazene has been sold as a designer drug, first being identified in both Poland and Finland in March 2020.
Etonitazepipne is a benzimidazole derivative with opioid effects around 100 times more potent than morphine, which has been sold over the internet as a designer drug.
Metodesnitazene is a benzimidazole derivative with opioid effects, though unlike related compounds such as metonitazene and etodesnitazene which are quite potent, metodesnitazene is only around the same potency as morphine in animal studies. It is illegal in both the US and UK.
Butonitazene is a benzimidazole derivative with opioid effects, which has been sold over the internet as a designer drug. It has relatively low potency compared to many related compounds, and has generally been encountered as a component of mixtures with other substances rather than in its pure form. However, it is still several times the potency of morphine and has been implicated in several cases of drug overdose. Butonitazene is a Schedule I drug in the US, along with several related compounds.
N-Desethylisotonitazene (norisotonitazene) is a benzimidazole opioid with potent analgesic effects which has been sold as a designer drug. It was first identified in 2023 as an active metabolite of the closely related compound isotonitazene, and was found to have similar potency. It is one of the strongest benzimidazole opioids discovered, with an analgesic strength 20 times stronger than fentanyl.
N-Desethyletonitazene is a benzimidazole derivative with potent opioid effects which has been sold as a designer drug. It is better known as an active metabolite of the related compound etonitazene, but has similar activity to the parent compound and has sometimes appeared as a drug of abuse in its own right, being identified in New Zealand in 2024.
Etonitazene 5-acetyl analogue (Etoacetazene, 5-acetyldesnitroetonitazene) is a benzimidazole derivative with opioid effects, first developed in the 1950s as part of the research that led to better-known compounds such as etonitazene. It is an analogue of etonitazene where the 5-nitro (NO2) group has been replaced by an acetyl (COCH3) group. It is described as having "reduced but still significant" potency compared to etonitazene itself. This compound was also tested as part of a series of cannabinoid receptor 2 agonists, and was found to be active though with fairly low potency of 960 nM at CB2, and negligible activity at CB1.
Etonitazene 5-cyano analogue (Etocyanazene, 5-cyanodesnitroetonitazene) is a benzimidazole derivative with opioid effects, first developed in the 1950s as part of the research that led to better-known compounds such as etonitazene. It is an analogue of etonitazene where the 5-nitro (NO2) group has been replaced by a nitrile (C≡N) group. It is described as having "reduced but still significant" potency compared to etonitazene itself. It was made illegal in Germany in July 2021.
Etoetonitazene is a benzimidazole derivative with opioid effects, first developed in the 1950s as part of the research that led to better-known compounds such as etonitazene. It is an analogue of etonitazene where the ethoxy sidechain has been extended to ethoxyethoxy. It is less potent than other benzimidazole class opioids, but is still a potent mu opioid receptor agonist with around 50x the potency of morphine, and has been sold as a designer drug since around 2022.
Flunitazene (Fluonitazene) is a benzimidazole derivative with opioid effects, first developed in the 1950s as part of the research that led to better-known compounds such as etonitazene. It is one of the least potent derivatives from this class to have appeared as a designer drug, with only around the same potency as morphine, but nevertheless has been sold since around 2020, and has been linked to numerous drug overdose cases.