Antagonists for serotonin receptors ameliorate rhabdomyolysis induced by 25D-NBOMe, a psychoactive designer drug

Purpose N-Benzyl-substituted phenethylamines (NBOMes) are psychoactive drugs, which induce various symptoms like serotonin syndrome, even at low doses. Recently, we reported the first lethal case of a designer drug, 2-(4-bromo-2, 5-dimethoxyphenyl)-NBOMe (25B-NBOMe) intoxication with severe rhabdomyolysis, evaluated by clinical, pathological, and toxicological analyses. We also confirmed that 25B-NBOMe can induce rhabdomyolysis using a zebrafish model. To further elucidate pathomechanism of NBOMes-induced rhabdomyolysis, we treated zebrafish with a similar designer drug, 2-(4-methyl-2, 5-dimethoxyphenyl)-NBOMe (25D-NBOMe).