In addition to addiction, the repeated use of (+)-methamphetamine [(+)-METH], (+)amphetamine [(+)-AMP], or (±)-methylenedioxymethamphetamine [(±)-MDMA, commonly called ecstasy] canlead to life-threatening medical problems including cardiovascular injury, severe depression, and psychosis. Currently, there are no specific pharmacotherapies to treat these medical problems. In this study, we report the design and synthesis of two haptens,
(S)-(+)-3-(9-carboxynonyloxy) methamphetamine [3a, (+)-METHMO10] and (S)-(+)-3-(5-carboxypentyloxy)methamphetamine [3b, (+)-METH MO6], and their use in generating high affinity (low K D value) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against (+)-METH, (+)-AMP, and/or (+)-MDMA. Based on results from the determination of mAb K D values and ligand specificity, the mAbs generated from hapten 3a showed the greatest promise for generating active and passive immunotherapies for treating overdose or addiction from (+)-METH-like stimulants.The abuse of (S)-(+)-methamphetamine [1a-(+)-METH] a and other amphetamine-like stimulants continues to be a major health problem worldwide. 1-3 Indeed, a study by RAND Corporation estimates the economic cost of (+)-METH use in the United States in 2005 was $23.4 billion. 4 This comprehensive estimate includes the economic burden of addiction, premature death, drug treatment, and many other aspects of the drugs impact on Americans. The 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimates that over 12 million individuals, aged 12 and older, had used (+)-METH in their lifetime, that 850,000 million had used (+)-METH during the past year, and that 314,000 individuals had used (+)-METH during the last month, which defines them as current users. 5 At present there are no specific pharmacotherapies for managing adverse (+)-METH-induced effects like acute overdose and chronic addiction. Preclinical studies in rats show that systemic administration of anti-(+)-METH monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) can rapidly remove the drug from its sites of action in critical tissues like the brain and heart suggesting that immunotherapy could provide an important new medical strategy for addressing (+)-METH-induced adverse health effects in humans, while others suggest antibody catalyzed inactivation of METH could be a possible therapeutic approach. 7 (S)-(+)-Amphetamine [1b, (+)-AMP], which is a major metabolite of (+)-METH and a drug of abuse, and (+)-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, the stimulant-inducing chemical in the racemic mixture of (±)-methylenedioxymethamphetamine [2, (±)-MDMA, commonly referred to as ecstasy] are two other widely abused and dangerous stimulants. The potency and stimulant effects of these (+)-METH-like compounds are influenced by the drug's stereochemistry, with the (+)-or (S)-isomers producing significantly more psychomimetic effects, stereotyped behavior and locomotor activity, 8 and increased production of reactive oxygen species in mice. 9 Given the medical importance of all three of these structurally related (+)-or (S)-isomers, it could be medicall...