GC-MS/MS analysis of synthetic cannabinoids 5F-MDMB-PICA and 5F-CUMYL-PICA in forensic cases

Aim: Validate a method to quantify 1-(5-fluoropentyl)-N-(2-phenylpropan-2-yl)-1H-indole-3-carboxamide (5F-CUMYL-PICA) and methyl 2-[[1-(5-fluoropentyl) indole-3-carbonyl] amino]-3,3-dimethyl-butanoate (5F-MDMB-PICA) in blood samples using GC-MS/MS. Materials & methods: A solid-phase extraction (SPE) method has been developed to quantify 5F-MDMB-PICA and 5F-CUMYL-PICA in authentic human blood samples. Results & conclusion: The limit of detection (LOD) was 0.1 and 0.11 ng/ml for 5F-CUMYL-PICA and 5F-MDMB-PICA, respectively, while the limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.50 ng/ml for both two compounds. Recovery was 91.40, 82.54 and 85.10% for SPE, supported liquid extraction (SLE) and ISOLUTE C18; matrix effects 15, 24 and 22.5% for SPE, SLE and ISOLUTE C18; accuracy was 2.4-5.5 and 3.9-7.3% for SPE, SLE and ISOLUTE C18, while precision was 4.6-7.7 and 6.4-8.3% for SPE, SLE and ISOLUTE C18, respectively. The concentrations of 5F-CUMYL-PICA and 5F-MDMB-PICA in the authentic human blood samples were 2.18 and 3.07 ng/ml, respectively. The validated method was successfully used in supporting the quantification of analytes in blood.

Structural confirmation of synthetic cannabinoids in seized electronic cigarette oil: A combined mass spectrometric and computational study

RATIONALE

Synthetic cannabinoids are some of the most used and abused new psychoactive substances, because they can produce a stronger intense pleasure than natural cannabis. Most of the new synthetic cannabinoids are structurally similar to existing synthetic cannabinoids and can be obtained by modifying partial structures of the latter without changing their effects. Therefore, the derivatization rules and common fragmentation patterns of synthetic cannabinoids could be used for rapid screening and structural identification of them.

METHODS

The derivatization rules of synthetic cannabinoids are summarized, and the common fragmentation pattern of synthetic cannabinoids including three typical cleavage pathways was explored and extended in this work based on combined mass spectrometry (MS) and density functional theory studies. Five synthetic cannabinoids in electronic cigarette oil from a drug case were separated and characterized using gas chromatography with MS and liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution quadrupole Orbitrap MS.

RESULTS

The structures of five synthetic cannabinoids in seized electronic cigarette oil were deduced from electron impact ion source (EI) MS and high-resolution electrospray ionization (ESI) MSⁿ data, along with the derivatization rules and common fragmentation pattern of synthetic cannabinoids. The proposed structures of these synthetic cannabinoids were further verified via reference substances. Computational study showed that selective cleavage of these compounds was mainly controlled by spin population in EI-MS, but a tunneling effect arose from proton transfer in ESI-MSⁿ detection, which has been rarely reported in previous works.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results showed that EI-MS was suitable for identifying synthetic cannabinoids with aromatic ketone structure, which could also be extended to adamantane linked group. Nevertheless, synthetic cannabinoids with carbamoyl linked group were better characterized by high-resolution ESI-MSⁿ compared to EI-MS. This study demonstrated a method with promising potential for rapid and reliable screening of synthetic cannabinoids in mixtures with enhanced detection throughput and operation simplicity.

Air monitoring for illegal drugs including new psychoactive substances: A review of trends, techniques and thermal degradation products

The detection of illicit psychotropic substances in both indoor and outdoor air is a challenging analytical discipline, and the data from such investigation may provide intelligence in a variety of fields. Applications of drug monitoring in air include providing data on national and international drug consumption trends, as monitored by organisations such as the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Air monitoring enables mapping of illicit drug manufacturing, dealing or consumption in cities and the identification of emergent compounds including the recent proliferation of new psychoactive substances (NPS). The rapid spread of NPS has changed the global drug market with greater diversity and dynamic spread of such compounds over several nations. This review provides an up to date analysis of key thematic areas within this analytical discipline. The process of how illicit psychotropic substances spread from emission sources to the atmosphere is considered alongside the sampling and analytical procedures involved. Applications of the technique applied globally are reviewed with studies ranging from the analysis of individual dwellings through to major international air-monitoring campaigns providing evidence on global drug trends. Finally, we consider thermal breakdown products of illicit psychotropic substances including NPS that are released upon heating, combustion or vaping and related potential for exposure to these compounds in the air.

Emergence of Cumyl-PEGACLONE-related fatalities in the Northern Territory of Australia

Suspected unnatural or unexpected deaths in the Northern Territory of Australia are reportable to the coroner, and investigation of such cases typically includes a post-mortem examination with comprehensive toxicological screening. An autopsy case series of five Cumyl-PEGACLONE-related fatalities over a recent eighteen-month period is presented. Databases of the Northern Territory coroner's office and the Royal Darwin Hospital Forensic Pathology Unit were searched to identify deaths related to synthetic cannabis use between July 1, 2018 and December 31, 2020. Toxicological analysis was performed at Forensic Science South Australia using a combination of liquid chromatography, gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Cumyl-PEGACLONE, a synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist (SCRA) with a gamma-carbolinone core, was detected in five cases (range in post-mortem blood 0.73-3.0 μg/L). Concurrent alcohol use and underlying cardiovascular disease were considered relevant factors in most cases. Toxicological Significance Scoring was carefully considered in all five cases, and in four cases, the presence of Cumyl-PEGACLONE was considered to be highly significant (TSS = 3). Synthetic cannabis use has not previously been identified in Northern Territory drug trends, and only one fatality related to the use of gamma-carbolines was identified in a recent Australia-wide study on synthetic cannabinoid-related fatalities. Deaths related to Cumyl-PEGACLONE use are emerging in the Northern Territory of Australia; this has public health implications. Although the exact mechanism(s) of death related to Cumyl-PEGACLONE are not fully established, this additional descriptive case series reaffirm an association with underlying cardiovascular disease, and suggest that concurrent use with alcohol may be relevant.

Adding more "spice" to the pot: A review of the chemistry and pharmacology of newly emerging heterocyclic synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists

Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) first appeared on the international recreational drug market in the early 2000s in the form of SCRA-containing herbal blends. Due to the cannabimimetic effects associated with the consumption of SCRAs, they have acquired an ill-informed reputation for being cheap, safe, and legal alternatives to illicit cannabis. Possessing high potency and affinity for the human cannabinoid receptor subtype-1 (CB₁ ) and -2 (CB₂ ), it is now understood that the recreational use of SCRAs can have severe adverse health consequences. The major public health problem arising from SCRA use has pressed legislators around the world to employ various control strategies to curb their recreational use. To circumvent legislative control measures, SCRA manufacturers have created a wide range of SCRA analogs that contain, more recently, previously unencountered azaindole, γ-carbolinone, or carbazole heterocyclic scaffolds. At present, little information is available regarding the chemical syntheses of these newly emerging classes of SCRA, from a clandestine perspective. When compared with previous generations of indole- and indazole-type SCRAs, current research suggests that many of these heterocyclic SCRA analogs maintain high affinity and efficacy at both CB₁ and CB₂ but largely evade legislative control. This review highlights the importance of continued research in the field of SCRA chemistry and pharmacology, as recreational SCRA use remains a global public health issue and represents a serious control challenge for law enforcement agencies.