6-monoacetylmorphine

6-Monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM) is a potent small molecule opioid and a primary active metabolite of heroin (diacetylmorphine). It is formed rapidly in the body via deacetylation of heroin and is subsequently metabolized into morphine. 6-MAM is significantly more potent than morphine and is responsible for much of the rapid onset of heroin's effects. Because it is not produced from other opioids like codeine or morphine, its presence in biological samples serves as a definitive forensic biomarker for heroin consumption. It acts as an agonist at opioid receptors in the central nervous system. While not developed as a therapeutic agent, it is utilized in forensic research, such as studies by Universitätsklinikum Freiburg investigating drug deposition in dental biofilms.

Other names

6-acetylmorphine