Minoxidil is an orally effective direct acting peripheral vasodilator that reduces elevated systolic and diastolic blood pressure by decreasing peripheral vascular resistance. Minoxidil is also used topically to treat androgenetic alopecia. Microcirculatory blood flow in animals is enhanced or maintained in all systemic vascular beds. In man, forearm and renal vascular resistance decline; forearm blood flow increases while renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate are preserved. The predominant site of minoxidil action is arterial. Venodilation does not occur with minoxidil; thus, postural hypotension is unusual with its administration. The antihypertensive activity of minoxidil is due to its sulphate metabolite, minoxidil sulfate. Minoxidil is thought to promote the survival of human dermal papillary cells (DPCs) or hair cells by activating both extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and Akt and by preventing cell death by increasing the ratio of BCl-2/Bax. Minoxidil may stimulate the growth of human hairs by prolonging anagen through these proliferative and anti-apoptotic effects on DPCs. Minoxidil, when used as a vasodilator, acts by opening adenosine triphosphate-sensitive potassium channels in vascular smooth muscle cells. This vasodilation may also improve the viability of hair cells or hair follicles. Minoxidil is used for the treatment of severe hypertension and in the topical treatment (regrowth) of androgenic alopecia in males and females and stabilisation of hair loss in patients with androgenic alopecia.

m-Chlorophenylpiperazine (meta-chlorophenylpiperazine or mCPP) is a psychoactive substance, which is illegal in many countries but can be found on the black market. It induces endocrine, neurological and psychiatric effects. mCPP is a partial agonist at the 5-HT2C receptor but antagonized the 5-HT2B and 5-HT3 receptors. mCPP is also an active metabolite of the drug trazodone, which is used as an effective antidepressant drug with a broad therapeutic spectrum, including anxiolytic efficacy. It is known, that mCPP induces migraine attacks and that the decrease of food intake induced by the mCPP depends on its ability to act as a serotonin agonist is a brain.