CE-LAD
Pharmaceutical compound
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
CE-LAD, or CHLORETH-LAD, also known as 6-(2-chloroethyl)-LAD or 6-(2-chloroethyl)-6-nor-LSD, is a compound of the lysergamide family related to the serotonergic psychedelic lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).[1][2] It was developed by psychedelic chemist David E. Nichols at UNC-Chapel Hill (formerly Purdue University) for potential use in scientific research.[1][2]
 | |
 | |
| Clinical data | |
|---|---|
| Other names | 6-(2-Chloroethyl)-6-nor-lysergic acid diethylamide; 6-(2-Chloroethyl)-6-nor-LSD; 6-(2-Chloroethyl)-LAD; CELAD; Cl-ETH-LAD; CHLORETH-LAD; CHLORETHLAD; 9,10-Didehydro-N,N-diethyl-6-(2-chloroethyl)-ergoline-8β-carboxamide |
| Drug class | Possible alkylating or irreversible serotonin 5-HT2A receptor ligand |
| Identifiers | |
| |
| Chemical and physical data | |
| Formula | C21H25ClN3O |
| Molar mass | 370.90 g·mol−1 |
| 3D model (JSmol) | |
| |
| |
The compound is an analogue of LSD and ETH-LAD (6-ethyl-6-nor-LSD) in which the 6-position N-alkyl chain has been replaced with a nitrogen mustard 2-chloroethyl group.[1][2] Nichols developed CE-LAD in hopes that it would be an alkylating irreversible ligand of a mutant serotonin 5-HT2A receptor that could help facilitate study of serotonin 5-HT2A protein–ligand complexes.[1][2]
CE-LAD was said by journalist Hamilton Morris to have been one of Nichols's final creations prior to his retirement.[1] It was described by Morris in 2021 in the final episode of his TV show Hamilton's Pharmacopeia.[1][2] Nichols related that the compound had previously proved to be synthetically inaccessible for many years.[1] Although Nichols appears to have successfully synthesized CE-LAD, the results of the work with the compound do not appear to have been published or reported.[1][2]
In 2022, a closely related drug, FLUORETH-LAD (FE-LAD), was synthesized and found to have similarly high affinity for the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor as LSD.[3]