Isotopomics by isotope ratio monitoring by 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry on cutting agents in heroin: A new approach for illicit drugs trafficking route elucidation

Preliminary investigation into isolation and extraction of DNA recovered from drug residues

It is a commonly held belief that drug residues may affect the integrity of DNA and/or interfere with DNA analysis, and therefore DNA on drug paraphernalia and the associated drugs may be overlooked as a source of evidence. This study investigated whether DNA could be isolated from a drug residue-bearing surface to ascertain whether a forensically useful DNA profile could be obtained. Human blood and pre-extracted "naked" DNA were deposited on samples of acetaminophen, codeine, morphine, oxycodone, ketamine, and synthetic cannabinoids and left for an hour before DNA extraction using DNA-IQ™. To investigate DNA integrity, the absolute amount of DNA recovered, degradation index, and number of PCR cycles required for the IPC to reach threshold (Ct), number of reportable alleles and average peak height (APH) in the DNA profile, were examined. The samples were also qualitatively analysed using LC:MS to determine if any residual drugs were present in the samples post-DNA extraction. Overall, the drugs had no to minimal degradation or inhibitory effects on the DNA with sufficient DNA recovered to generate a partial or full DNA profile in 80% of naked DNA samples and 100 % of blood samples. The amount of DNA collected was sufficient for further analysis in 86% of naked DNA samples, and 100% of blood samples, with all median APH values being over the 175 RFU standard. Chemical analysis showed that traces of the drug were still present in the samples after DNA extraction was performed. Therefore, this study demonstrates forensically useful DNA can be recovered from surfaces bearing drug residues, even when sampling directly from the samples of drugs.

Overview of the major classes of new psychoactive substances, psychoactive effects, analytical determination and conformational analysis of selected illegal drugs

The misuse of psychoactive substances is attracting a great deal of attention from the general public. An increase use of psychoactive substances is observed among young people who do not have enough awareness of the harmful effects of these substances. Easy access to illicit drugs at low cost and lack of effective means of routine screening for new psychoactive substances (NPS) have contributed to the rapid increase in their use. New research and evidence suggest that drug use can cause a variety of adverse psychological and physiological effects on human health (anxiety, panic, paranoia, psychosis, and seizures). We describe different classes of these NPS drugs with emphasis on the methods used to identify them and the identification of their metabolites in biological specimens. This is the first review that thoroughly gives the literature on both natural and synthetic illegal drugs with old known data and very hot new topics and investigations, which enables the researcher to use it as a starting point in the literature exploration and planning of the own research. For the first time, the conformational analysis was done for selected illegal drugs, giving rise to the search of the biologically active conformations both theoretically and using lab experiments.

NMR-based isotopic and isotopomic analysis

Molecules exist in different isotopic compositions and most of the processes, physical or chemical, in living systems cause selection between heavy and light isotopes. Thus, knowing the isotopic fractionation of the common atoms, such as H, C, N, O or S, at each step during a metabolic pathway allows the construction of a unique isotope profile that reflects its past history. Having access to the isotope abundance gives valuable clues about the (bio)chemical origin of biological or synthetic molecules. Whereas the isotope ratio measured by mass spectrometry provides a global isotope composition, quantitative NMR measures isotope ratios at individual positions within a molecule. We present here the requirements and the corresponding experimental strategies to use quantitative NMR for measuring intramolecular isotope profiles. After an introduction showing the historical evolution of NMR for measuring isotope ratios, the vocabulary and symbols - for describing the isotope content and quantifying its change - are defined. Then, the theoretical framework of very accurate quantitative NMR is presented as the principle of Isotope Ratio Measurement by NMR spectroscopy, including the practical aspects with nuclei other than ²H, that have been developed and employed to date. Lastly, the most relevant applications covering three issues, tackling counterfeiting, authentication, and forensic investigation, are presented, before giving some perspectives combining technical improvements and methodological approaches.