Active vaccination reduces reinforcing effects of MDPV in male Sprague-Dawley rats trained to self-administer cocaine

Current status of vaccines for substance use disorders: A brief review of human studies

Substance use is a major public health concern worldwide. In the United States, drug-related deaths have increased many-fold in the past two decades due to the infiltration of more potent and lethal drugs such as fentanyl. Despite significant advancement in medicine, the management of substance use disorders (SUD) continues to be fraught with high attrition, relapse, morbidity, and mortality. The conceptual transition of a SUD from a moral failing to a chronic disease caused by substances facilitated the expansion of biological treatments, including pharmacotherapy, neurostimulation, and immunotherapy. While the quest for vaccines against drugs of abuse had an optimistic start in animal models, clinical trials in humans have yielded disappointing results. This paper provides a brief review on the current progress of vaccines against nicotine, stimulants (cocaine and methamphetamine), opioids including fentanyl, novel psychoactive substances (synthetic cathinones and synthetic cannabis), and discusses prospects for vaccine technology in the treatment of SUD.

Synthetic drugs of abuse

Synthetic drugs of abuse contain various psychoactive substances. These substances have recently emerged as novel drugs of abuse in public; thus, they are known as novel psychoactive substances (NPS). As these compounds are artificially synthesized in a laboratory, they are also called designer drugs. Synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones are the two primary classes of NPS or designer drugs. Synthetic cannabinoids, also known as "K2" or "Spice," are potent agonists of the cannabinoid receptors. Synthetic cathinones, known as "Bath salts," are beta-keto amphetamine derivatives. These compounds can cause severe intoxication, including overdose deaths. NPS are accessible locally and online. NPS are scheduled in the US and other countries, but the underground chemists keep modifying the chemical structure of these compounds to avoid legal regulation; thus, these compounds have been evolving rapidly. These drugs are not detectable by traditional drug screening, and thus, these substances are mainly abused by young individuals and others who wish to avoid drug detection. These compounds are analyzed primarily by mass spectrometry.