5-HO-DET

5-HO-DET, or 5-hydroxy-DET, also known as 5-hydroxy-N,N-diethyltryptamine, is a serotonin receptor modulator of the tryptamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine families related to the psychedelic drug bufotenin (5-HO-DMT). It is the derivative of bufotenin in which the N,N-dimethyl groups have been replaced with N,N-diethyl groups. The drug is also the N,N-diethyl derivative of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) and the 5-hydroxy derivative of diethyltryptamine (DET).

5-HO-DET shows relatively low potency in terms of psychedelic-like behavioral effects in the conditioned avoidance response test in rodents. It has been suggested that this might be due to 5-HO-DET having poor lipophilicity and blood–brain barrier permeability analogously to bufotenin. However, 5-HO-DET has significantly greater lipophilicity than bufotenin owing to its ethyl instead of methyl groups (predicted log P = 1.9 and 1.2, respectively). 5-HO-DET has been assessed and found to show high affinity for the serotonin 5-HT_1E and 5-HT_1F receptors.

Analogues of 5-HO-DET include diethyltryptamine (DET), 4-HO-DET (ethocin), 4-AcO-DET (ethacetin), 4-PO-DET (ethocybin), 5-MeO-DET, bufotenin (5-HO-DMT), 5-HO-MET, 5-HO-DPT, 5-HO-DiPT, α-methylserotonin (5-HO-AMT), and N-methylserotonin (5-HO-NMT), among others.

5-HO-DET was first described in the scientific literature by Hunt and Brimblecombe by at least 1967.