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Shukla S, Khanna S, Gani Mir TU, Dalal J, Sankhyan D, Khanna K. Emerging global trends and development in forensic toxicology: A review. J Forensic Leg Med 2024; 103:102675. [PMID: 38522117 DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2024.102675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
This study conducts a comprehensive analysis of forensic toxicology research trends, publication patterns, author's contributions, and collaboration. Utilizing the Scopus database, we scrutinized 3259 articles across 348 journals spanning from 1975 to 2023. Analysis employed diverse software tools such as VOSviewer, RStudio, MS Excel, and MS Access to dissect various publication aspects. We observed a notable surge in publications post-2007, indicating heightened research interest. Leading contributors included the United States, Germany, and Italy, with Logan B.K. emerging as the most prolific author. Forensic Science International stood out as the primary journal, publishing 888 articles and accruing significant citations. Keyword co-occurrences such as "forensic toxicology," "forensic science," and "toxicology" underscored core thematic areas in the field. Moreover, extensive research collaboration, especially among Western nations in Europe, was evident. This study underscores the imperative for enhanced collaboration between developing and developed nations to foster further advancements in forensic science. Strengthened partnerships can catalyze innovation, facilitate knowledge dissemination, and address emerging challenges, thereby propelling the field of forensic toxicology toward new frontiers of discovery and application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saurabh Shukla
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, 144411, Punjab, India.
| | | | - Tahir Ul Gani Mir
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, 144411, Punjab, India
| | - Jyoti Dalal
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, 144411, Punjab, India
| | - Deeksha Sankhyan
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, 144411, Punjab, India
| | - Kushagra Khanna
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, 56000, Malaysia
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2
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Zhao LY, Qin M, Wu GP, Zhou YT, Zhu JX, Peng H. Quantitative determination of amphetamine-type stimulants in sewage and urine by hybrid monolithic column solid-phase microextraction coupled with UPLC-QTRAP MS/MS. Talanta 2024; 269:125437. [PMID: 38070282 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2023.125437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
A needle-solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method based on hybrid monolithic column (HMC) was proposed for simultaneous separation and extraction of seven amphetamine-type stimulants (ATSs) (amphetamine, methamphetamine, cathinone, methcathinone, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, and 3,4-methylenedioxyethylamphetamine), combining with ultra-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole/linear ion trap mass spectrometer (UPLC-QTRAP MS/MS). Thiol functionalized HMC (T-HMC) showed high extraction efficiency and excellent elution results towards target analytes, among three kinds of single/bi-functionalized HMCs. Various parameters of SPME operation and analytical performance were investigated systematically. The adsorption mechanism of T-HMC to ATSs was also discussed and explained as a mixed mode of electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the proposed T-HMC needle-SPME-UPLC-QTRAP MS/MS method was rapid and convenient with good accuracy, low sample consumption, high sensitivity and strong anti-interference ability. This method was successfully applied to quantitative determination of seven trace ATSs in complex sewage and urine samples. In view of abundant types of HMCs, the needle-SPME based on functional HMC also had the potential to selectively separating and enriching other tract new psychoactive substances in complex matrices, and could provide a reliable tool for drug monitoring, especially in applications for forensic analysis and drug abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Yu Zhao
- Department of Criminal Science and Technology, Jiangsu Police Institute, Nanjing 210031, China; Jiangsu Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Technical and Criminal Inspection of Food, Drug and Environmental Cases, Nanjing 210031, China.
| | - Mian Qin
- Department of Criminal Science and Technology, Jiangsu Police Institute, Nanjing 210031, China; Jiangsu Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Technical and Criminal Inspection of Food, Drug and Environmental Cases, Nanjing 210031, China
| | - Guo-Ping Wu
- Department of Criminal Science and Technology, Jiangsu Police Institute, Nanjing 210031, China; Jiangsu Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Technical and Criminal Inspection of Food, Drug and Environmental Cases, Nanjing 210031, China
| | - Yi-Tong Zhou
- Department of Criminal Science and Technology, Jiangsu Police Institute, Nanjing 210031, China
| | - Jia-Xuan Zhu
- Department of Criminal Science and Technology, Jiangsu Police Institute, Nanjing 210031, China
| | - Hao Peng
- Department of Criminal Science and Technology, Jiangsu Police Institute, Nanjing 210031, China
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3
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Paškan M, Dobšíková K, Kuchař M, Setnička V, Kohout M. Synthesis and absolute configuration of cyclic synthetic cathinones derived from α-tetralone. Chirality 2024; 36:e23646. [PMID: 38353318 DOI: 10.1002/chir.23646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
The emergence of new synthetic cathinones continues to be a matter of public health concern. In fact, already known products (drugs) are being rapidly replaced by new structurally related alternatives, whereby modifications in the basic cathinone structure are used by manufacturers to circumvent the legislation. On the other hand, some derivatives of synthetic cathinones represent important pharmaceuticals with antidepressant properties. In the search for pharmaceutically relevant analogs, the main goal of the present study was to design and characterize novel cyclic α-tetralone-based derivatives of synthetic cathinones. We synthesized a series of derivatives and verified their chemical structure. Subsequently, chiral separation has been accomplished by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with a circular dichroism (CD) detector, which directly provided CD spectra of the enantiomers of the analyzed substances at 252 nm. Using density functional theory calculations, we have obtained stable conformers of selected enantiomers in solution and their relative abundances, which we used to simulate their spectra. The experimental and calculated data have been used to assign the absolute configuration of six as-yet unknown synthetic cathinones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Paškan
- Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Kristýna Dobšíková
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Martin Kuchař
- Forensic Laboratory of Biologically Active Substances, Department of Natural Compounds, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague 6, Czech Republic
- Psychedelic Research Centre, National Institute of Mental Health, Klecany, Czech Republic
| | - Vladimír Setnička
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague 6, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Kohout
- Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague 6, Czech Republic
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Matey JM, Zapata F, Menéndez-Quintanal LM, Montalvo G, García-Ruiz C. Identification of new psychoactive substances and their metabolites using non-targeted detection with high-resolution mass spectrometry through diagnosing fragment ions/neutral loss analysis. Talanta 2023; 265:124816. [PMID: 37423179 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2023.124816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- José Manuel Matey
- Department of Chemistry and Drugs, National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences, C/ José Echegaray Nº4, 28232, Las Rozas de Madrid, Madrid, Spain; Universidad de Alcalá, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Policiales (IUICP), calle Libreros 27, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, España(1); Chemical and Forensic Sciences (CINQUIFOR) Research Group, University of Alcalá, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona km 33.600, 28871, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain(2).
| | - Félix Zapata
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Murcia, Campus Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Luis Manuel Menéndez-Quintanal
- Department of Chemistry and Drugs, National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences, Campus de Ciencias de la Salud, La Cuesta, 38320, La Laguna (Sta. Cruz de Tenerife), Spain.
| | - Gemma Montalvo
- Universidad de Alcalá, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Policiales (IUICP), calle Libreros 27, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, España(1); Chemical and Forensic Sciences (CINQUIFOR) Research Group, University of Alcalá, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona km 33.600, 28871, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain(2); Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Química Analítica, Quimica Física e Ingeniería Química, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona km 33,6, 28871 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, España.
| | - Carmen García-Ruiz
- Universidad de Alcalá, Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Policiales (IUICP), calle Libreros 27, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, España(1); Chemical and Forensic Sciences (CINQUIFOR) Research Group, University of Alcalá, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona km 33.600, 28871, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain(2); Universidad de Alcalá, Departamento de Química Analítica, Quimica Física e Ingeniería Química, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona km 33,6, 28871 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, España.
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Balcaen M, Ventura M, Gil C, Luf A, Martins D, Cunha M, Tögel-Lins K, Wolf D, Blanckaert P, Deconinck E. Challenges in Drug Surveillance: Strengthening the Analysis of New Psychoactive Substances by Harmonizing Drug Checking Services in Proficiency Testing. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:4628. [PMID: 36901637 PMCID: PMC10002093 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20054628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Drug checking is a proven harm reduction strategy and provides real-time information on the market of new psychoactive substances (NPS). It combines chemical analysis of samples with direct engagement with people who use drugs (PWUD), giving the ability to increase preparedness and responsiveness towards NPS. Next to that, it supports rapid identification of potential unwitting consumption. However, NPS cause a toxicological battle for the researchers, as factors such as the unpredictability and quick shift of the market complicate the detection. METHODS To evaluate challenges posed towards drug checking services, proficiency testing was set up to evaluate existing analytical techniques and investigate the capability to correctly identify circulating NPS. Twenty blind substances, covering the most common categories of substances, were analyzed according to the existing protocols of the existing drug checking services, including several analytical methods such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and liquid chromatography with diode array detector (LC-DAD). RESULTS The proficiency test scores range from 80 to 97.5% accuracy. The most common issues and errors are mainly unidentified compounds, presumably due to no up-to-date libraries, and/ or confusion between structural isomers, such as 3- and 4-chloroethcathinone, or structural analogs, such as MIPLA (N-methyl-N-isopropyl lysergamide) and LSD (D-lysergic acid diethylamide). CONCLUSIONS The participating drug checking services have access to adequate analytical tools to provide feedback to drug users and provide up-to-date information on NPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margot Balcaen
- Unit Illicit Drugs, Lifestyle and Chronic Diseases, Scientific Direction Epidemiology, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Mireia Ventura
- Energy Control, Associació Benestar i Desenvolupament, 08041 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristina Gil
- Energy Control, Associació Benestar i Desenvolupament, 08041 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anton Luf
- Clinical Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18–20, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Mar Cunha
- Kosmicare, 1170-283 Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | - Danny Wolf
- Legal-high-Inhaltsstoffe, 60439 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Peter Blanckaert
- Unit Illicit Drugs, Lifestyle and Chronic Diseases, Scientific Direction Epidemiology, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Eric Deconinck
- Service Medicines and Health Products, Scientific Direction Physical and Chemical Health Risks, Sciensano, J. Wytsmanstraat 14, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
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Ling J, Zhang W, Yan X, Liu W, Wang Y, Ding Y. Sensitive detection and primary metabolism analysis of flualprazolam in blood. J Forensic Leg Med 2022; 90:102388. [PMID: 35691207 DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2022.102388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Flualprazolam, a new benzodiazepine psychoactive substance recently made available online, and outside the controlled substance list, is often used by criminals for rape and robbery. In this paper, flualprazolam was successfully identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Moreover, LC-Q-TOF-MS analysis method was proposed for the determination of flualprazolam in whole blood using the rabbit perfusion model. After metabolism analysis, a monohydroxylated metabolite 3-hydroxy-flualprazolam was found in the primary mass spectrum of metabolites. Meanwhile, the time effect curve of the flualprazolam in rabbit's blood was explored and the detection window was about 36 h. Moreover, the sensitivity of the established LC-Q-TOF-MS method was investigated with the limit of detection of 0.03 ng/mL. The successful analysis of an actual forensic case with this established method suggests that it might provide a reference method for drug detection or supervision in law enforcement agencies and identification institutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiang Ling
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, 410013, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Wenqi Zhang
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, 410013, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Xiaojun Yan
- Institute of Forensic Science, Public Security Department of Hunan Province, 410013, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Wenlong Liu
- Institute of Criminal Science and Technology of Changsha Public Security Bureau, 410013, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yanyan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology, Ministry of Public Security, People's Republic of China, 100192, Beijing, China
| | - Yanjun Ding
- Department of Forensic Science, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Central South University, 410013, Changsha, Hunan, China.
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7
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AlMazroua MK, Mahmoud NF. The Need for Standards Unification in Forensic Laboratories Practices: A protocol for setting up the Arab Forensic Laboratories Accreditation Center (Preprint). JMIR Res Protoc 2022; 11:e36778. [PMID: 35767345 PMCID: PMC9280477 DOI: 10.2196/36778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Maha K AlMazroua
- Regional Poison Control Center, Ministry of Health, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
| | - Naglaa F Mahmoud
- Regional Poison Control Center, Ministry of Health, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
- Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
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8
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Belenguer-Sapiña C, Sáez-Hernández R, Pellicer-Castell E, Armenta S, Mauri-Aucejo A. Simultaneous determination of third-generation synthetic cannabinoids in oral fluids using cyclodextrin-silica porous sorbents. Microchem J 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2021.106915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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9
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Goncalves R, Pelletier R, Couette A, Gicquel T, Le Daré B. Suitability of high-resolution mass spectrometry in analytical toxicology: Focus on drugs of abuse. TOXICOLOGIE ANALYTIQUE ET CLINIQUE 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxac.2021.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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10
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Identification of synthetic cannabinoid methyl 2-{[1-(cyclohexylmethyl)-1 H-indol-3-yl] formamido}-3-methylbutanoate using modern mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. OPEN CHEM 2021. [DOI: 10.1515/chem-2021-0113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The samples of plant material suspected to contain new psychoactive substances are very often the subject of chemical-toxicological analyses. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (MS), liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-MS, and liquid chromatography-tandem MS were applied with the aim to identify synthetic cannabinoid, methyl 2-{[1-(cyclohexylmethyl)-1H-indol-3-yl] formamido}-3-methylbutanoate (MMB-CHMICA) without the analytical standard, which is very often the case when a new drug arrives. The structure of compound was also confirmed by one-dimensional and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and conformational analysis. After identification, methanolic extract of plant material containing MMB-CHMICA was successfully used for developing a multiple reaction monitoring method on liquid chromatography-tandem MS instrument. The optimization procedure is shown in detail. The complete fragmentation pattern and also the optimization of the extraction procedure of MMB-CHMICA from plant material were shown. The obtained data are useful for forensic, toxicological, and clinical purposes.
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11
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Camuto C, Guglielmelli A, De-Giorgio F, de la Torre X, Mazzarino M, Marti M, Botrè F. In vitro metabolic profile of mexedrone, a mephedrone analog, studied by high- and low-resolution mass spectrometry. Drug Test Anal 2021; 14:269-276. [PMID: 34652887 PMCID: PMC9298855 DOI: 10.1002/dta.3179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Mexedrone is a synthetic cathinone structurally related to mephedrone, which belongs to the class of N‐alkyl cathinone derivatives, whose metabolic profile has not been fully clarified yet. This study considers the in vitro phase I metabolism of mexedrone, to pre‐select the most appropriate marker(s) of intake. Mexedrone was incubated in the presence of either human liver microsomes or single recombinant CYP450 isoforms. The metabolic profile was outlined by ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography coupled to both high‐ and low‐resolution mass spectrometry. In detail, the phase I metabolic profile of mexedrone was initially defined by a time‐of‐flight analyzer, while the chemical structures of the detected metabolites and the potential presence of minor metabolites were subsequently studied by tandem mass spectrometry, using a triple quadrupole analyzer. The main phase I metabolic reactions were hydroxylation and N‐ and O‐dealkylation. The CYP450 isoforms most involved were CYP2C19, responsible for the formation of both hydroxylated and dealkylated metabolites, followed by CYP2D6 and CYP1A2, involved in the hydroxylation reactions only. Finally, a significant fraction of mexedrone unchanged was also detected. Based on this evidence, the most appropriate markers of intake are mexedrone unchanged and the hydroxylated metabolites.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Fabio De-Giorgio
- Department of Health Care Surveillance and Bioethics, Section of Legal Medicine, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.,Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Matteo Marti
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.,Collaborative Center for the Italian National Early Warning System, Department of Anti-Drug Policies, Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Botrè
- Laboratorio Antidoping, FMSI, Rome, Italy.,REDs-Research and Expertise in anti-Doping Sciences, ISSUL-Institute of Sport Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Ferreira AB, Lobo Castro A, Tarelho S, Domingues P, Franco JM. GC-MS – Still standing for clinical and forensic analysis: validation of a multidrug method to detect and quantify illicit drugs. AUST J FORENSIC SCI 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/00450618.2021.1964598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Beatriz Ferreira
- National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, Oporto, Portugal
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - André Lobo Castro
- National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, Oporto, Portugal
- ICBAS - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sónia Tarelho
- National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, Oporto, Portugal
| | - Pedro Domingues
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - João Miguel Franco
- National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, Oporto, Portugal
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14
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Fan SY, Zang CZ, Shih PH, Ko YC, Hsu YH, Lin MC, Tseng SH, Wang DY. Simultaneous LC-MS/MS screening for multiple phenethylamine-type conventional drugs and new psychoactive substances in urine. Forensic Sci Int 2021; 325:110884. [PMID: 34245937 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.110884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
New psychoactive substances are being launched in the drug market at a rapidly growing pace. More than 950 new psychoactive substances have been reported to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The development of new psychoactive substance abuse has drawn risks on public health and safety. Phenethylamines, along with other stimulants, accounted for the majority of the new psychoactive substances being reported in the past decade. This study presents a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous screening of 74 conventional and artificial phenethylamines in urine samples. The chromatographic analysis was performed by a direct dilute-and-shoot procedure using a Phenomenex Kinetex® Phenyl-Hexyl column (10 cm × 2.1 mm i.d., 1.7 µm) and two mobile phases (A: 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution with 5 mM ammonium acetate, B: 0.1% formic acid methanolic solution). The mass fragments were collected under the multiple reaction monitoring mode. The linearity range located in 1.0-50.0 ng/mL for quantitative analysis. The limit of detection and lower limit of quantification for 74 phenethylamines were 0.5 ng/mL and 1.0 ng/mL, respectively. The method was validated and further applied to analyze authentic urine samples. Twenty samples were tested positive of seven phenethylamines from 67 samples, whereas the contents detected were 9.8 ng/mL to 147.1 μg/mL with dilution factors of 40 to 20,000 folds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Yu Fan
- Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Executive Yuan, 161-2 Kunyang St., Nangang Dist., Taipei City 11561, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Zong Zang
- Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Executive Yuan, 161-2 Kunyang St., Nangang Dist., Taipei City 11561, Taiwan.
| | - Po-Han Shih
- Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Executive Yuan, 161-2 Kunyang St., Nangang Dist., Taipei City 11561, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Chun Ko
- Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Executive Yuan, 161-2 Kunyang St., Nangang Dist., Taipei City 11561, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Hui Hsu
- Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Executive Yuan, 161-2 Kunyang St., Nangang Dist., Taipei City 11561, Taiwan
| | - Mei-Chih Lin
- Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Executive Yuan, 161-2 Kunyang St., Nangang Dist., Taipei City 11561, Taiwan
| | - Su-Hsiang Tseng
- Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Executive Yuan, 161-2 Kunyang St., Nangang Dist., Taipei City 11561, Taiwan
| | - Der-Yuan Wang
- Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Executive Yuan, 161-2 Kunyang St., Nangang Dist., Taipei City 11561, Taiwan
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15
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Fanali C, D'Orazio G, Gentili A, Fanali S. Potentiality of miniaturized techniques for the analysis of drugs of abuse. Electrophoresis 2021; 43:190-200. [PMID: 34148240 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202100150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 06/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Capillary electromigration (CE) and liquid chromatographic techniques (CLC/nano-LC) are miniaturized techniques offering distinct advantages over conventional ones in the field of separation science. Among these, high efficiency, high chromatographic resolution, and use of minute volumes of both mobile phase and sample volumes are the most important. CE and CLC/nano-LC have been applied to the analysis of many compounds including peptides, proteins, drugs, enantiomers, ions, etc. Over the years, the methods described here have also been used for the analysis of compounds of clinical, forensic, and toxicological interest. In this review article, the main features of the mentioned techniques are summarized. Their potentiality for the analysis of drugs of abuse are discussed. Some selected applications in this field in the period of 2015-present are also reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Fanali
- Faculty of Science, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni D'Orazio
- Institute for the Biological Systems, National Research Council, Monterotondo, Italy
| | | | - Salvatore Fanali
- Teaching Committee of Ph.D. School in Natural Science and Engineering, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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16
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Zapata F, Matey JM, Montalvo G, García-Ruiz C. Chemical classification of new psychoactive substances (NPS). Microchem J 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2020.105877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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17
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Untargeted Metabolic Profiling of 4-Fluoro-Furanylfentanyl and Isobutyrylfentanyl in Mouse Hepatocytes and Urine by Means of LC-HRMS. Metabolites 2021; 11:metabo11020097. [PMID: 33578841 PMCID: PMC7916627 DOI: 10.3390/metabo11020097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The diffusion of new psychoactive substances (NPS) is highly dynamic and the available substances change over time, resulting in forensic laboratories becoming highly engaged in NPS control. In order to manage NPS diffusion, efficient and innovative legal responses have been provided by several nations. Metabolic profiling is also part of the analytical fight against NPS, since it allows us to identify the biomarkers of drug intake which are needed for the development of suitable analytical methods in biological samples. We have recently reported the characterization of two new analogs of fentanyl, i.e., 4-fluoro-furanylfentanyl (4F-FUF) and isobutyrylfentanyl (iBF), which were found for the first time in Italy in 2019; 4F-FUF was identified for the first time in Europe and was notified to the European Early Warning System. The goal of this study was the characterization of the main metabolites of both drugs by in vitro and in vivo experiments. To this end, incubation with mouse hepatocytes and intraperitoneal administration to mice were carried out. Samples were analyzed by means of liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS), followed by untargeted data evaluation using Compound Discoverer software with a specific workflow, designed for the identification of the whole metabolic pattern, including unexpected metabolites. Twenty metabolites were putatively annotated for 4-FFUF, with the dihydrodiol derivative appearing as the most abundant, whereas 22 metabolites were found for iBF, which was mainly excreted as nor-isobutyrylfentanyl. N-dealkylation of 4-FFUF dihydrodiol and oxidation to carbonyl metabolites for iBF were also major biotransformations. Despite some differences, in general there was a good agreement between in vitro and in vivo samples.
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Papa P, Valli A, Di Tuccio M, Buscaglia E, Brambilla E, Scaravaggi G, Gallo M, Locatelli CA. Prevalence of Stimulant, Hallucinogen, and Dissociative Substances Detected in Biological Samples of NPS-Intoxicated Patients in Italy. J Psychoactive Drugs 2021; 53:247-255. [PMID: 33470904 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2020.1862370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
A number of new psychoactive substances (NPS) have been released in the last decade, and the list of NPS continues to grow. This paper reports a retrospective evaluation of the toxicological analyses in 1,445 suspected intoxication cases by psychostimulant, hallucinogen, and dissociative NPS occurring in hospitals across Italy from 2011 to 2019. The objectives of the study were to contribute to the monitoring of the NPS diffusion based on analytically confirmed intoxications, and to evaluate the importance of the clinical toxicological laboratory in the diagnosis of NPS intoxication. For at least one NPS of the considered classes, 246 patients (17.0%) tested positive. Forty-four different NPS were detected and a consistent turnover was observed during the nine-year period, especially regarding cathinones. Among the positive cases, 47.2% tested positive for dissociative NPS, with particular regard to ketamine. Hallucinogens (30.9%) was the second most frequent NPS involved. Stimulants were found in 20% of the positive cases with a considerable presence of cathinones. Findings confirm the dynamism of the NPS phenomenon, underline the importance of awareness of this new public health threat among health care professionals, and highlight the need for analytical confirmation for the identification of the drugs in forensic contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Papa
- Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Analisi Chimico-cliniche. Laboratorio Di Tossicologia Analitica, Pavia, Italy
| | - Antonella Valli
- Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Analisi Chimico-cliniche. Laboratorio Di Tossicologia Analitica, Pavia, Italy
| | | | - Eleonora Buscaglia
- IRCCS Ospedale Di Pavia, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri SpA. Servizio Tossicologia, Centro Antiveleni. Centro Nazionale Informazione Tossicologica, Pavia, Italy
| | - Elena Brambilla
- IRCCS Ospedale Di Pavia, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri SpA. Servizio Tossicologia, Centro Antiveleni. Centro Nazionale Informazione Tossicologica, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giulia Scaravaggi
- IRCCS Ospedale Di Pavia, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri SpA. Servizio Tossicologia, Centro Antiveleni. Centro Nazionale Informazione Tossicologica, Pavia, Italy
| | - Mariapina Gallo
- ASST Ospedale Papa Giovanni XXIII, Centro Antiveleni e Tossicologia, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Carlo Alessandro Locatelli
- IRCCS Ospedale Di Pavia, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri SpA. Servizio Tossicologia, Centro Antiveleni. Centro Nazionale Informazione Tossicologica, Pavia, Italy
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19
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Gottardo R, Sorio D, Soldati G, Ballotari M, Porpiglia NM, Tagliaro F. Optimization and validation of a new approach based on CE-HRMS for the screening analysis of novel psychoactive substances (cathinones, phenethylamines, and tryptamines) in urine. Electrophoresis 2020; 42:450-459. [PMID: 33263181 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202000304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The continuous introduction in the market of new psychoactive drugs (NPS) represents a well-known international emergency. Indeed, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime are paying great attention to the spread of NPS. In addition to the traditional analytical approaches based on GC-MS and HPLC-MS, also CE coupled with MS has proved to be a precious tool for the toxicological screening of biosamples. On these grounds, the aim of the present work was to test the application of CE-HRMS as a new screening tool for the rapid detection of these novel drugs in urine. Separations were performed in an uncoated fused-silica capillary with id of 75 μm with a total length of 100 cm, by applying a constant voltage of 15 kV. The QTOF-MS was implemented with an electrospray ion source operating in positive ionization full scan mode in the range of 100-1000 m/z. Under these conditions, different NPS has been tested, including eight cathinones, five phenethylamine, and seven tryptamines. The method was validated after optimization of the following analytical parameters: BGE composition and pH, separation voltage, sheath liquid composition, and flow rate and ESI source settings. The applicability of the method was successfully tested by analyzing a series of real urine samples obtained from drug users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Gottardo
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, Unit of Forensic Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Daniela Sorio
- Centre for Technological Platforms, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Giulia Soldati
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, Unit of Forensic Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Marco Ballotari
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, Unit of Forensic Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Nadia Maria Porpiglia
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, Unit of Forensic Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Franco Tagliaro
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, Unit of Forensic Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.,Institute Translational Medicine and Biotechnology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russian Federation
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20
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Tomai P, Gentili A, Curini R, Gottardo R, Franco Tagliaro, Fanali S. Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction, an effective tool for the determination of synthetic cannabinoids in oral fluid by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. J Pharm Anal 2020; 11:292-298. [PMID: 34277117 PMCID: PMC8264461 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpha.2020.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In the present work, dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) was used to extract six synthetic cannabinoids (JWH-018, JWH-019, JWH-073, JWH-200, or WIN 55,225, JWH-250, and AM-694) from oral fluids. A rapid baseline separation of the analytes was achieved on a bidentate octadecyl silica hydride phase (Cogent Bidentate C18; 4.6 mm × 250 mm, 4 μm) maintained at 37 °C, by eluting in isocratic conditions (water:acetonitrile (25:75, V/V)). Detection was performed using positive electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. The parameters affecting DLLME (pH and ionic strength of the aqueous phase, type and volume of the extractant and dispersive solvent, vortex and centrifugation time) were optimized for maximizing yields. In particular, using 0.5 mL of oral fluid, acetonitrile (1 mL), was identified as the best option, both as a solvent to precipitate proteins and as a dispersing solvent in the DLLME procedure. To select an extraction solvent, a low transition temperature mixture (LTTM; composed of sesamol and chlorine chloride with a molar ratio of 1:3) and dichloromethane were compared; the latter (100 μL) was proved to be a better extractant, with recoveries ranging from 73% to 101 % by vortexing for 2 min. The method was validated according to the guidelines of Food and Drug Administration bioanalytical methods: intra-day and inter-day precisions ranged between 4 % and 18 % depending on the spike level and analyte; limits of detection spanned from 2 to 18 ng/mL; matrix-matched calibration curves were characterized by determination coefficients greater than 0.9914. Finally, the extraction procedure was compared with previous methods and with innovative techniques, presenting superior reliability, rapidity, simplicity, inexpensiveness, and efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierpaolo Tomai
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandra Gentili
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Roberta Curini
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Rossella Gottardo
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy and Institute of Translational Medicine and Biotechnology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Franco Tagliaro
- Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy and Institute of Translational Medicine and Biotechnology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Salvatore Fanali
- Teaching Committee of Ph.D. School in Natural Science and Engineering University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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21
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Brandeburová P, Bodík I, Horáková I, Žabka D, Castiglioni S, Salgueiro-González N, Zuccato E, Špalková V, Mackuľak T. Wastewater-based epidemiology to assess the occurrence of new psychoactive substances and alcohol consumption in Slovakia. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2020; 200:110762. [PMID: 32450441 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.110762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Consumption of alcohol and new psychoactive substances (NPS) in a population or during special events (music festivals) is usually monitored through individual questionnaires, forensic and toxicological data, and drug seizures. However, consumption estimates have some biases due mostly to the unknown composition of drug pills for NPS and stockpiling for alcohol. The aim of this study was to evaluate for the first time the real use of alcohol and the occurrence of NPS in Slovakia by wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). Urban wastewater samples were collected from nine Slovak cities over two years (2017-2018) and during three music festivals. The study included about 20% of the Slovak population and 50 000 festival attendees. The urinary alcohol biomarker ethyl sulfate (EtS) and thirty NPS were analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC - MS/MS). EtS concentrations were used for estimating the per capita alcohol consumption in each city. The average alcohol consumption in the selected cities and festivals in 2017-2018 ranged between 7 and 126 L/day/1000 inhabitants and increased during the weekends and music festivals. Five NPS belonging to the classes of synthetic cathinones (mephedrone, methcathinone, buphedrone and pentedrone) and phenethylamines (25-iP-NBoMe) were found in the low ng/L range. Methcathinone was the most frequently detected NPS, while the highest normalized mass load corresponded to mephedrone (3.1 mg/day/1000 inhabitants). Wastewater-based epidemiology can provide timely information on alcohol consumption and NPS occurrence at the community level that is complementary to epidemiology-based monitoring techniques (e.g. population surveys, police seizures, sales statistics).
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Brandeburová
- Institute of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Radlinského 9, 812 37, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Igor Bodík
- Institute of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Radlinského 9, 812 37, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ivana Horáková
- Institute of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Radlinského 9, 812 37, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Dušan Žabka
- Institute of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Radlinského 9, 812 37, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Sara Castiglioni
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156, Milan, Italy
| | - Noelia Salgueiro-González
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156, Milan, Italy
| | - Ettore Zuccato
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156, Milan, Italy
| | - Viera Špalková
- Department of Inorganic Technology, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Radlinského 9, 812 37, Bratislava, Slovakia; Department of Zoology and Fisheries, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcka 129, 165 00 Praha 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Mackuľak
- Institute of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Food Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Radlinského 9, 812 37, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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22
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Efeoglu Ozseker P, Daglıoglu N. Simultaneous Determination and Validation of 5F-ADBICA and 5F-NPB-22 in Whole Blood and Urine by LC/MS–MS. Chromatographia 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10337-020-03947-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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23
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Gradient supercritical fluid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry with a gradient flow of make-up solvent for enantioseparation of cathinones. J Chromatogr A 2020; 1625:461286. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2020.461286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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24
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Salomone A, Palamar JJ, Vincenti M. Should NPS be included in workplace drug testing? Drug Test Anal 2020; 12:191-194. [PMID: 31840414 DOI: 10.1002/dta.2749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Salomone
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Torino, Turin, Italy.,Centro Regionale Antidoping e di Tossicologia "A. Bertinaria", , Orbassano, Turin, Italy
| | - Joseph J Palamar
- Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Marco Vincenti
- Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Torino, Turin, Italy.,Centro Regionale Antidoping e di Tossicologia "A. Bertinaria", , Orbassano, Turin, Italy
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25
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Segawa H, Fukuoka T, Itoh T, Imai Y, Iwata YT, Yamamuro T, Kuwayama K, Tsujikawa K, Kanamori T, Inoue H. Rapid detection of synthetic cannabinoids in herbal highs using surface-enhanced Raman scattering produced by gold nanoparticle co-aggregation in a wet system. Analyst 2019; 144:6928-6935. [PMID: 31661540 DOI: 10.1039/c9an01512d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) are a major category of new psychoactive substances that are frequently distributed after addition to plants. To date, various SCs with small differences in their chemical structures have prevailed in the illegal drug market. Thus, the development of a method for rapid detection with high discrimination capability is critically important for the forensic field. Vibrational spectroscopy is a possible analytical technique for this purpose because it can sensitively reflect differences among chemical structures. In this study, we applied surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) with gold nanoparticle co-aggregation in a wet system to plant samples containing SCs. The experimental protocol used was simple and involved only mixing of the sample with several other solutions. It was possible to detect SERS spectra from various stock solutions of SCs by this method. The method was then applied to street samples containing SCs. Some of the plant samples containing SCs did not produce significant SERS signals even though stock solutions of the same SCs did produce SERS spectra. We investigated the reason for this discrepancy and speculated that the solubility in aqueous solutions was a factor determining whether a significant SERS signal could be detected or not. According to this hypothesis, minimal sample pre-treatment methods were applied. This allowed for the detection of SERS spectra from the examined plant samples. The developed approach is a powerful method for screening analysis of SCs in plant fragments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Segawa
- Third Department of Forensic Science, National Research Institute of Police Science, 6-3-1, Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0882, Japan.
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26
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Lehmann S, Kieliba T, Thevis M, Rothschild MA, Mercer-Chalmers-Bender K. Fatalities associated with NPS stimulants in the Greater Cologne area. Int J Legal Med 2019; 134:229-241. [DOI: 10.1007/s00414-019-02193-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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27
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Gaunitz F, Kieliba T, Thevis M, Mercer‐Chalmers‐Bender K. Solid‐phase extraction–liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for the qualitative analysis of 61 synthetic cannabinoid metabolites in urine. Drug Test Anal 2019; 12:27-40. [DOI: 10.1002/dta.2680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2019] [Revised: 08/03/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Gaunitz
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine University of Cologne Cologne Germany
| | - Tobias Kieliba
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine University of Cologne Cologne Germany
| | - Mario Thevis
- Institute of Biochemistry, German Sport University Cologne Cologne Germany
| | - Katja Mercer‐Chalmers‐Bender
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine University of Cologne Cologne Germany
- Health Department Basel‐Stadt Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Basel Switzerland, Basel Switzerland
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28
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Increased fatty acyl saturation of phosphatidylinositol phosphates in prostate cancer progression. Sci Rep 2019; 9:13257. [PMID: 31520002 PMCID: PMC6744559 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49744-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Phosphoinositides (PIPs) participate in many cellular processes, including cancer progression; however, the metabolic features of PIPs associated with prostate cancer (PCa) are unknown. We investigated PIPs profiles in PTEN-deficient prostate cancer cell lines, human prostate tissues obtained from patients with PCa and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) specimens using mass spectrometry. In immortalized normal human prostate PNT1B cells, PTEN deficiency increased phosphatidylinositol tris-phosphate (PIP3) and decreased phosphatidylinositol mono- and bis-phosphate (PIP1 and PIP2), consistent with PTEN’s functional role as a PI(3,4,5)P3 3-phosphatase. In human prostate tissues, levels of total (sum of all acyl variants) phosphatidylinositol (PI) and PIP1 in PCa were significantly higher than in BPH, whereas PIP2 and PIP3 contents were significantly lower than in BPH. PCa patients had significantly higher proportion of PI, PIP1, and PIP2 with 0–2 double bonds in acyl chains than BPH patients. In subgroup analyses based on PCa aggressiveness, mean total levels of PI with 0–2 double bonds in acyl chains were significantly higher in patients with pathological stage T3 than in those with pathological stage T2. These data indicate that alteration of PIPs level and the saturation of acyl chains may be associated with the development and aggressiveness of prostate cancer, although it is unknown whether this alteration is causative.
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29
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Chromatographic separation of the isobaric compounds cyclopropylfentanyl, crotonylfentanyl, methacrylfentanyl, and para-methylacrylfentanyl for specific confirmation by LC-MS/MS. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2019; 1118-1119:164-170. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2019.04.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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30
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Dei Cas M, Casagni E, Arnoldi S, Gambaro V, Roda G. Screening of new psychoactive substances (NPS) by gas-chromatography/time of flight mass spectrometry (GC/MS-TOF) and application to 63 cases of judicial seizure. Forensic Sci Int Synerg 2019; 1:71-78. [PMID: 32411957 PMCID: PMC7219149 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2019.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Revised: 04/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
A screening method for the separation and identification of more than fifty NPS is proposed. The method is based on fast gas-chromatography/time of flight mass spectrometry (FAST-GC/MS-TOF). Thanks to the shorter and narrower capillary column and to the rapid acquisition of the TOF detector a huge number of compounds are separated in a very short time of analysis (10 min). Only a few peaks were overlapped. The possibility to apply deconvolution by the software of the GC/MS-TOF instrument allowed the unequivocal identification also for the superimposed peaks. Linearity and LOD was studied and the method was applied to 63 cases of powders seized by the judicial authority at the airport of Milano Malpensa in Northern Italy in the period 2014–2017.
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31
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Gerace E, Caneparo D, Borio F, Salomone A, Vincenti M. Determination of several synthetic cathinones and an amphetamine‐like compound in urine by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. Method validation and application to real cases. J Sep Sci 2019; 42:1577-1584. [DOI: 10.1002/jssc.201801249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Gerace
- Centro Regionale Antidoping e di Tossicologia “A. Bertinaria” Turin Italy
| | - Denise Caneparo
- Centro Regionale Antidoping e di Tossicologia “A. Bertinaria” Turin Italy
| | - Federica Borio
- Dipartimento di ChimicaUniversità degli Studi di Torino Turin Italy
| | - Alberto Salomone
- Centro Regionale Antidoping e di Tossicologia “A. Bertinaria” Turin Italy
- Dipartimento di ChimicaUniversità degli Studi di Torino Turin Italy
| | - Marco Vincenti
- Centro Regionale Antidoping e di Tossicologia “A. Bertinaria” Turin Italy
- Dipartimento di ChimicaUniversità degli Studi di Torino Turin Italy
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32
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Arbouche N, Raul J, Garnier D, Kintz P, Ameline A. Testing for AB‐PINACA in human hair: Distribution in head hair versus pubic hair. Drug Test Anal 2019; 11:610-616. [DOI: 10.1002/dta.2564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Revised: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Pascal Kintz
- Institut de médecine légale Strasbourg France
- X‐Pertise Consulting Mittelhausbergen France
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33
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Gjerde H, Gjersing L, Baz-Lomba JA, Bijlsma L, Salgueiro-González N, Furuhaugen H, Bretteville-Jensen AL, Hernández F, Castiglioni S, Johanna Amundsen E, Zuccato E. Drug Use by Music Festival Attendees: A Novel Triangulation Approach Using Self-Reported Data and Test Results of Oral Fluid and Pooled Urine Samples. Subst Use Misuse 2019; 54:2317-2327. [PMID: 31398072 DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2019.1646285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Background: Self-reported data are commonly used when investigating illicit substance use. However, self-reports have well-known limitations such as limited recall and socially desirable responding. Mislabeling or adulteration of drugs on the illicit market may also cause incorrect reporting. Objectives: We aimed to examine what could be gained in terms of illicit drug use findings among music festival attendees when including biological sample test results in the assessment. Methods: We included 651 attendees at three music festivals in Norway from June to August 2016. Self-reported drug use was recorded using questionnaires, and samples of oral fluid were analyzed to detect use of illicit drugs. In addition, we analyzed samples of pooled urine from portable toilets at each festival. Results: All methods identified cannabis, MDMA, and cocaine as the most commonly used drugs. Overall, 6.6% of respondents reported use of illicit substances during the previous 48 hours. Oral fluid testing identified a larger number of drug users as 12.6% tested positive for illicit drugs. In oral fluid testing, we identified ketamine and three new psychoactive substances (NPS) that had not been reported on the questionnaire. In pooled urine testing, we identified amphetamine and three additional NPS that were neither reported used nor found in oral fluid samples. Conclusions/Importance: Drug testing of biological samples proved to be an important supplement to self-reports as a larger number of illicit substances could be detected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hallvard Gjerde
- Section of Drug Abuse Research, Department of Forensic Sciences, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Linn Gjersing
- Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Lubertus Bijlsma
- Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
| | | | - Håvard Furuhaugen
- Section of Drug Abuse Research, Department of Forensic Sciences, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Félix Hernández
- Research Institute for Pesticides and Water, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
| | - Sara Castiglioni
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Ellen Johanna Amundsen
- Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ettore Zuccato
- Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Milan, Italy
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Synthetic cannabinoids in biological specimens: a review of current analytical methods and sample preparation techniques. Bioanalysis 2018; 10:1609-1623. [PMID: 30226077 DOI: 10.4155/bio-2018-0150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Synthetic cannabinoids are a new class of chemical drugs capable of modifying human behavior. These products do not contain cannabis, but produce similar effects after consumption. The fact that they are easily accessed, and are many times considered to be harmless, justifies their widespread use among young people. This fact, together with the difficulty in their detection by routine drug tests, makes it extremely important to develop new procedures able to detect and monitor their consumption. The aim of this work is to perform a critical review regarding the human biological samples that can be used for the determination of synthetic cannabinoids, paying special attention to analytical methods and sample preparation techniques. The reviewed articles deal with the determination of synthetic cannabinoids in the context of forensic and toxicological analysis.
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Kim JY, Suh S, Park J, In MK. Simultaneous Determination of Amphetamine-Related New Psychoactive Substances in Urine by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry†. J Anal Toxicol 2018; 42:605-616. [DOI: 10.1093/jat/bky037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Despite the efforts to prevent the spread of new psychoactive substances (NPS) such as synthetic amphetamine derivatives, it is apparent that newer types of NPS are still emerging on the market in recent years. Due to high potential for their abuse, reliable analytical methods are required to determine these substances in biological samples. The objective of this study was to develop and validate the gas chromatography–mass spectrometric (GC–MS) method for the simultaneous determination of 13 amphetamine-related NPS (amphetamine; AP, 4-fluoroamphetamine; 4FA, methamphamine; MA, 4-fluoromethamphetamine; 4FMA, 4-chloroamphetamine; 4CA, para-methoxyamphetamine; PMA, 4-chloromethamphetamine; 4CMA, 6-(2-aminopropyl)benzofuran; 6APB, 4-methylenedioxyamphetamine; MDA, para-methoxymethamphetamine; PMMA, 6-(2-methylaminopropyl)benzofuran; 6MAPB, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine; MDMA, 5,6-methylenedioxy-2-aminoindane; MDAI) in urine. The analytes were extracted at pH 7.4 by liquid–liquid extraction prior to their trifluoroacetyl derivatives and then analyzed by GC–MS. The validation parameters included selectivity, linearity, lower limits of quantification (LLOQ), intra and interday precision and accuracy, recovery and stability. The linear ranges were 2–100 ng/mL for AP, 4FA, 4FMA, 4CA, PMA, 6APB, MDA, and MDAI, 2–250 ng/mL for 4CMA, PMMA, and 6MAPB and 25–1,000 ng/mL for MA and MDMA, with acceptable coefficients of determination (r2 > 0.9963). The intra and interday precision were within 11.9 and 12.5%, while the intra and interday accuracies ranged from −10.6% to 13.0% and −11.0% to 6.8% for the nominal concentration at all studied levels, respectively. The LLOQs for each analyte were 2.0–25 ng/mL. The recoveries ranged from 69.3% to 96.4%. The short- and long-term variations of the analytes in urine were lower than 8.5 and 12.7%, indicating that the analytes are stable at least for 16 h at room temperature and for 7 days at 4°C, respectively. The applicability of the method was examined by analyzing urine samples from drug abusers and was determined to be effective for detecting multiple drug use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Young Kim
- Office of Forensic Science Planning, Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sunglll Suh
- Forensic Genetics & Chemistry Division, Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaehyeong Park
- Forensic Genetics & Chemistry Division, Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Moon Kyo In
- Forensic Genetics & Chemistry Division, Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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36
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Kyriakou C, Pellegrini M, García-Algar O, Marinelli E, Zaami S. Recent Trends in Analytical Methods to Determine New Psychoactive Substances in Hair. Curr Neuropharmacol 2018; 15:663-681. [PMID: 27834146 PMCID: PMC5771044 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x15666161111112545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2016] [Revised: 05/01/2016] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) belong to several chemical classes, including phenethylamines, piperazines, synthetic cathinones and synthetic cannabinoids. Development and validation of analytical methods for the determination of NPS both in traditional and alternative matrices is of crucial importance to study drug metabolism and to associate consumption to clinical outcomes and eventual intoxication symptoms. Among different biological matrices, hair is the one with the widest time window to investigate drug-related history and demonstrate past intake. The aim of this paper was to overview the trends of the rapidly evolving analytical methods for the determination of NPS in hair and the usefulness of these methods when applied to real cases. A number of rapid and sensitive methods for the determination of NPS in hair matrix has been recently published, most of them using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Hair digestion and subsequent solid phase extraction or liquid-liquid extraction were described as well as extraction in organic solvents. For most of the methods limits of quantification at picogram per milligram hair were obtained. The measured concentrations for most of the NPS in real samples were in the range of picograms of drug per milligram of hair. Interpretation of the results and lack of cut-off values for the discrimination between chronic consumption and occasional use or external contamination are still challenging. Methods for the determination of NPS in hair are continually emerging to include as many NPS as possible due to the great demand for their detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chrystalla Kyriakou
- Unit of Forensic Toxicology (UoFT), Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 336 (00185) Rome. Italy
| | - Manuela Pellegrini
- Department of Therapeutic Research and Medicines Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanita, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Rome. Italy
| | - Oscar García-Algar
- Department of Pediatrics, Group of Research on Childhood and Environment (GRIE), Institute Hospital del Mar of Medical Research (IMIM), Hospital del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain. Spain
| | - Enrico Marinelli
- Unit of Forensic Toxicology (UoFT), Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 336 (00185) Rome. Italy
| | - Simona Zaami
- Unit of Forensic Toxicology (UoFT), Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 336 (00185) Rome. Italy
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Alsenedi KA, Morrison C. Determination and long-term stability of twenty-nine cathinones and amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) in urine using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2018; 1076:91-102. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2018.01.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 01/21/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Some Applications of Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in the Biomedical Field. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.coac.2017.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
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Abstract
Bioanalysis of new psychoactive substances (NPS) is very challenging due to the growing number of compounds with new chemical structures found on the drugs of abuse market. Screening, identification, and quantification in biosamples are needed in clinical and forensic toxicology settings, and these procedures are more challenging than the analysis of seized drug material because of extremely low concentrations encountered in biofluids but also due to diverse metabolic alterations of the parent compounds. This article focuses on bioanalytical single- and multi-analyte procedures applicable to a broad variety of NPS in various biomatrices, such as blood, urine, oral fluid, or hair. Sample preparation, instrumentation, detection modes, and data evaluation are discussed as well as corresponding pitfalls. PubMed-listed and English-written original research papers and review articles published online between 01 October 2012 and 30 September 2017 were considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Wagmann
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Toxicology, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany
| | - Hans H Maurer
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Toxicology, Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany.
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40
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Montesano C, Vannutelli G, Fanti F, Vincenti F, Gregori A, Rita Togna A, Canazza I, Marti M, Sergi M. Identification of MT-45 Metabolites: In Silico Prediction, In Vitro Incubation with Rat Hepatocytes and In Vivo Confirmation. J Anal Toxicol 2017; 41:688-697. [PMID: 28985323 DOI: 10.1093/jat/bkx058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 06/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
MT-45 is a synthetic opioid with a pharmacological activity comparable to morphine and it has been involved in intoxications and fatalities reported in Europe and in USA. It was recently subject to control measures, but to date the metabolic pathways of the substance are still unknown. Using rat hepatocytes and LC-HRMS, 14 novel Phase I and II MT-45 metabolites were identified, products of monohydroxylation, dihydroxylation and N-dealkylation; glucuronide conjugation of mono- and dihydroxylated metabolites also occurred. The detected metabolites were firstly predicted in silico, then incubation of the drug with rat hepatocytes was carried out and the obtained metabolites were identified by LC-HRMS, with retention times, mass shift between theoretical mass and observed mass (<5 ppm), peak abundance and fragmentation pattern. Hydroxylated MT-45 was found to be the major metabolite of MT-45 in vitro experiments. The presence of all metabolites was confirmed by in vivo experiments in urine samples of CD-1 male mice; in these samples hydroxy-MT-45-glucuronide and di-hydroxy-MT-45-glucuronide are the most abundant metabolites, while the parent drug is found at concentration <10 ng mL-1 after 300 min. The knowledge of Phase I and II MT-45 metabolite structure is then crucial to develop analytical methods to identify MT-45 consumption in clinical and forensic testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Montesano
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Gabriele Vannutelli
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Federico Fanti
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Flaminia Vincenti
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Adolfo Gregori
- Department of Scientific Investigation (RIS), Carabinieri, Viale di Tor di Quinto, 151, 00191 Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Rita Togna
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology Vittorio Erspamer, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Isabella Canazza
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology (SVeB), University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44100 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Matteo Marti
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology (SVeB), University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44100 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Manuel Sergi
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Via Balzarini 1, 64100 Teramo, Italy
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Bennett KH, Hare HM, Waller RM, Alderson HL, Lawrie S. Characteristics of NPS use in patients admitted to acute psychiatric services in Southeast Scotland: a retrospective cross-sectional analysis following public health interventions. BMJ Open 2017; 7:e015716. [PMID: 29203502 PMCID: PMC5778313 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Assess the impact of selective prohibition and seizure of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) supply on NPS use prevalence within psychiatric admissions and evaluate demographic characteristics of current NPS users. DESIGN A 6-month retrospective cross-sectional analysis of discharge letters between 1 October 2015 and 31 March 2016. SETTING General psychiatry inpatients and intensive home treatment team (IHTT) community patients at a psychiatric hospital in a Scottish city. PARTICIPANTS All participants were between the ages of 18 and 65 years. After application of exclusion criteria, 473 discharge letters of general psychiatry patients were deemed suitable for analysis and 264 IHTT patient discharge letters were analysed. INTERVENTIONS A nationwide temporary class drug order (TCDO) was placed on 10 April 2015 reclassifying methylphenidate-related compounds as class B substances. On 15 October 2015, local forfeiture orders were granted to trading standards permitting the seizure of NPS supplies. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome measure was to determine the prevalence of NPS use in two cohorts. Second, demographic features of patients and details regarding their psychiatric presentation were analysed. RESULTS The prevalence of NPS use in general psychiatry and IHTT patients was 6.6% and 3.4%, respectively. Inpatients using NPS compared with non-users were more likely to be men (OR 2.92, 95% CI 1.28 to 6.66, P=0.009), have a forensic history (OR 5.03, CI 2.39 to 10.59, P<0.001) and be detained under an Emergency Detention Certificate (OR 3.50, CI 1.56 to 7.82, P=0.004). NPS users were also more likely to be diagnosed under International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Version 10, F10-19 (OR 9.97, CI 4.62 to 21.49, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Compared with previous work, psychiatric inpatient NPS use has fallen. NPS continue to be used by a demographic previously described resulting in presentations consistent with a drug-induced psychosis and at times requiring detention under the Mental Health Act. Further research is required to evaluate the effectiveness of the recent prohibition of all NPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle H Bennett
- School of Medicine, University of Edinburgh College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Helen M Hare
- Department of Psychiatry, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Robert M Waller
- He Puna Waiora Adult Mental Health Inpatient Unit, Waitemata District Health Board, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Helen L Alderson
- Department of Psychiatry, Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline, Fife, UK
| | - Stephen Lawrie
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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42
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Paul ABM, Simms L, Amini S, Paul AE. Teens and Spice: A Review of Adolescent Fatalities Associated with Synthetic Cannabinoid Use. J Forensic Sci 2017; 63:1321-1324. [DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.13704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2017] [Revised: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Anthea B. Mahesan Paul
- Office of the Medical Examiner; Clark County Coroner; 1704 Pinto Lane, Las Vegas NV 89106
- University of Oxford; Oxford OX3 9DU UK
- Department of Pathology; The Ottawa Hospital; University of Ottawa; Ottawa Ontario Canada
| | - Lary Simms
- Office of the Medical Examiner; Clark County Coroner; 1704 Pinto Lane, Las Vegas NV 89106
| | | | - Abraham Ebenezer Paul
- Office of the Medical Examiner; Clark County Coroner; 1704 Pinto Lane, Las Vegas NV 89106
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Rocchi R, Simeoni MC, Montesano C, Vannutelli G, Curini R, Sergi M, Compagnone D. Analysis of new psychoactive substances in oral fluids by means of microextraction by packed sorbent followed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Drug Test Anal 2017; 10:865-873. [DOI: 10.1002/dta.2330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Revised: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 10/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rachele Rocchi
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment; University of Teramo; Teramo Italy
| | - Maria Chiara Simeoni
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment; University of Teramo; Teramo Italy
| | | | | | - Roberta Curini
- Department of Chemistry; Sapienza University of Rome; Rome Italy
| | - Manuel Sergi
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment; University of Teramo; Teramo Italy
| | - Dario Compagnone
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment; University of Teramo; Teramo Italy
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Three fatalities associated with the synthetic cannabinoids 5F-ADB, 5F-PB-22, and AB-CHMINACA. Forensic Sci Int 2017; 281:e9-e15. [PMID: 29133010 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2017.10.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 10/28/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The use of synthetic cannabinoids (SC) has been widespread in certain groups of drug users for many years. In the scientific literature many intoxication cases and a number of fatalities after the use of synthetic cannabinoids were reported. In this paper three death cases are described with involvement of the synthetic cannabinoids 5F-PB-22, AB-CHMINACA, and 5F-ADB. The three cases occurred in the eastern region of Germany, which is known as a region of high methamphetamine abuse. All decedents were male, between 25 and 41 years old, and had a known history of drug use. Femoral blood concentrations of the synthetic cannabinoids were measured using a validated LC-MS/MS method. The concentration of 5F-PB-22 in the first case was 0.37ng/mL, the concentration of AB-CHMINACA in the second case was approximately 4.1ng/mL (extrapolated) and the 5F-ADB concentration in the third case was 0.38ng/mL. Compared to other published cases the concentrations in the here presented cases seem to be in the lower range. However, taking into account the scene of death, the results of the forensic autopsy and the full toxicological analysis, the deaths can be explained as a direct consequence of consumption of synthetic cannabinoids, although in case one and two relevant amounts of ethanol were found, and in case three trimipramine and olanzapine were present in non-toxic concentrations. It has to be noted that concentrations of synthetic cannabinoids in femoral blood cannot directly be judged as toxic or lethal due to the possibility of postmortem redistribution and the development of tolerance after frequent use. Therefore, all available information has to be considered carefully before stating SC use as the cause of death.
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45
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A High-throughput HPLC-MS/MS Assay for the Detection, Quantification and Simultaneous Structural Confirmation of 136 Drugs and Metabolites in Human Urine. Ther Drug Monit 2017. [DOI: 10.1097/ftd.0000000000000429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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46
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Majchrzak M, Celiński R, Kuś P, Kowalska T, Sajewicz M. The newest cathinone derivatives as designer drugs: an analytical and toxicological review. Forensic Toxicol 2017; 36:33-50. [PMID: 29367861 PMCID: PMC5754390 DOI: 10.1007/s11419-017-0385-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Currently, among new psychoactive substances, cathinone derivatives constitute the biggest group, which are mainly classified into N-alkylated, 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-alkylated, N-pyrrolidinyl, and 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-pyrrolidinyl derivatives. These derivatives are actively being subjected to minor modifications at the alkyl chains or the aromatic ring to create new synthetic cathinones with the goal of circumventing laws. In this review, the new synthetic cathinones that have appeared on the illegal drug market during the period 2014-2017 are highlighted, and their characterization by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry is presented. METHODS Various key words were used to conduct an extensive literature search across a number of databases, specifically for synthetic cathinones that emerged between 2014 and 2017. RESULTS More than 30 new cathinone derivatives were discovered. The preexisting parental compounds for the new derivatives are also referenced, and their mass spectral data are compiled in a table to facilitate their identification by forensic toxicologists. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this is the most current review presenting new synthetic cathinones. Political authorities should take measures to implement and enforce generic scheduling (comprehensive system) laws to control the diversely modified synthetic cathinones. Supplementing the existing databases with new findings can greatly facilitate the efforts of forensic toxicologists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milena Majchrzak
- Department of General Chemistry and Chromatography, Institute of Chemistry, University of Silesia, 9 Szkolna Street, 40-006 Katowice, Poland
- Toxicology Laboratory ToxLab, 6 Kossutha Street, 40-844 Katowice, Poland
| | - Rafał Celiński
- Toxicology Laboratory ToxLab, 6 Kossutha Street, 40-844 Katowice, Poland
| | - Piotr Kuś
- Department of Organic Synthesis, Institute of Chemistry, University of Silesia, 9 Szkolna Street, 40-006 Katowice, Poland
| | - Teresa Kowalska
- Department of General Chemistry and Chromatography, Institute of Chemistry, University of Silesia, 9 Szkolna Street, 40-006 Katowice, Poland
| | - Mieczysław Sajewicz
- Department of General Chemistry and Chromatography, Institute of Chemistry, University of Silesia, 9 Szkolna Street, 40-006 Katowice, Poland
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Elliott S, Sedefov R, Evans-Brown M. Assessing the toxicological significance of new psychoactive substances in fatalities. Drug Test Anal 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/dta.2225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Simon Elliott
- Alere Forensics; Malvern Hills Science Park; Worcestershire UK
| | - Roumen Sedefov
- European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA); Lisbon Portugal
| | - Michael Evans-Brown
- European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA); Lisbon Portugal
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48
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A new challenge in forensic toxicology exemplified by a case of murder under the influence of a synthetic cannabinoid – AM-2201. Leg Med (Tokyo) 2017; 27:25-31. [DOI: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2017.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2016] [Revised: 05/23/2017] [Accepted: 06/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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49
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Proposal of 5-methoxy- N -methyl- N -isopropyltryptamine consumption biomarkers through identification of in vivo metabolites from mice. J Chromatogr A 2017; 1508:95-105. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2017.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2017] [Revised: 05/31/2017] [Accepted: 06/03/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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50
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Raso S, Bell S. Qualitative Analysis and Detection of the Pyrolytic Products of JWH-018 and 11 Additional Synthetic Cannabinoids in the Presence of Common Herbal Smoking Substrates. J Anal Toxicol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/jat/bkx039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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