1-Ethyl-β-carboline is an alkaloid of the β-carboline family found in tobacco smoke. It is the 1-ethyl derivative of β-carboline (norharmane).
The drug is an antagonist of serotonin, histamine, acetylcholine, and barium chloride in guinea pig ileum tissue. In addition, it is an antagonist of the effects of catecholamines. 1-Ethyl-β-carboline produces central depression or hypolocomotion and hypotension in rodents. It is a weak reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A (RIMA) ( = 1,690nM), with similar potency as β-carboline but 28- to 85-fold lower potency than harmaline and harmane (1-methyl-β-carboline). In addition, the drug is a lower-potency dopamine reuptake inhibitor (DRI), with an at the dopamine transporter (DAT) of 660nM. It has also been found to induce dopamine release in rat striatal synaptosomes. It has been hypothesized that 1-ethyl-β-carboline might contribute to the rewarding effects of tobacco smoking.
The chemical synthesis of 1-ethyl-β-carboline has been described.
1-Ethyl-β-carboline was first described in the scientific literature by 1968.
See also Substituted β-carboline 1-Ethyl-6-hydroxytryptoline
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