Analysis of a new fluoroquinolone derivative (Q-35) in human scalp hair as an index of drug exposure and as a time marker in hair

Testing hair for pharmaceuticals

More than hundred pharmaceuticals, drugs of abuse or doping agents have been reported to be detectable in human hair. This article reviews the analysis of 90 drugs and drug metabolites by chromatographic procedures, including the pretreatment steps, the extraction methods, the reported limits of detection and the measured concentrations in real human hair samples. Some progress is observed in the detection of low dose drugs, like fentanyl or flunitrazepam. The general tendency in the last years, to highly sophisticated techniques (GC-MS-NCI, HPLC-MS, GC-MS-MS) illustrates well this constant fight for sensitivity. Some new findings, based on the recent experience of the authors, are also added.

Testing for drugs in hair. Critical review of chromatographic procedures since 1992

Up to now, more than 50 pharmaceuticals or drugs of abuse have been reported to be detectable in hair after oral or parenteral administration. The present paper reviews the literature devoted to drug testing in hair that has been published since 1992. Procedures for the detection of opiates, cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis in hair are described in detail. In particular, the papers on benzodiazepines show an increasing number of procedures using negative chemical ionisation with GC-MS and diode array detection with HPLC in hair analysis. For the most important benzodiazepines, diazepam and flunitrazepam, reliable methods now exist. On the other hand, the problem of the detecting tetrahydrocannabinol metabolites using different techniques is not yet solved. Some progress is observed in the detection of low dose drugs, like fentanyl and its derivatives or LSD. For most of the analyses using chromatographic techniques, the main data on sample preparation and analytical determinations are listed. Some new findings, based on the experience of the authors, are also added.

Comparative dispositions of ofloxacin in human head, axillary, and pubic hairs

The distribution of ofloxacin (OFLX) along the shaft of each of three hair types, i.e., head, axillary and pubic, was investigated and compared among five healthy male volunteers 1 to 4 months after ingestion of OFLX for 1 or 2 days (total dose, 200 or 600 mg). Five strands of each hair type were sectioned together into successive 0.5-cm lengths starting from the dermal end, over a length of < or = 6 cm, and the OFLX concentration in each hair section was measured by high-pressure liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The distribution of OFLX along the head hair shaft was narrow, having a single peak even 3 to 4 months after administration, suggesting a rather uniform growth rate among hair strands. On the other hand, the OFLX distribution along axillary or pubic hair shafts tended to be broad, even having two apparent peaks, and the growth rate did not seem uniform. Since axillary hair seemed to stop growing after having gained a length of < or = 4 to 5 cm, it was suggested to enter a resting stage after the growth of < or = 3 cm over the 2 to 4 months after OFLX incorporation. These findings indicate that head hair is the most suitable for analysis of individual drug use and the larger growth rate and cycle stage variabilities of strands of the other types of hair should be taken into account.

Comparative study of pharmacokinetics of two new fluoroquinolones, balofloxacin and grepafloxacin, in elderly subjects

Comparative pharmacokinetics and tolerability were studied in healthy elderly volunteers for two new fluoroquinolones, balofloxacin (Q-35) and grepafloxacin (OPC-17116), the main excretion routes being the renal and hepatic routes, respectively. Both agents were well tolerated in elderly subjects. In comparison with previously reported data from healthy younger adults, the absorption of balofloxacin was slightly delayed and urinary excretion was delayed and diminished. As a significant linear correlation was observed between renal clearance of balofloxacin and creatinine clearance, the delayed and diminished urinary recovery was attributed to the reduced renal function of the elderly subjects enrolled in the study. The absorption of grepafloxacin was also delayed, and the maximum plasma drug concentration and area under the plasma drug concentration-time curve were increased in the elderly by 31 and 48%, respectively, over those in younger adults on the basis of dose normalized to body weight. The plasma terminal elimination half-life and urinary recovery remained unchanged. Decreases in distribution volume and total body clearance in the elderly were considered to be the primary factors contributing to these differences.

[A new tool for biological study: hair analysis. Value in medical practice]

Testing hair has been used since two hundred years for arsenic determination. Fifteen years ago, Baumgartner published the first report on the detection of morphine in the hair of heroin abusers by radio-immuno-assay. Today the development of new methods like gas chromatography/mass spectrometry has permitted numerous applications based on the analysis of organic substances trapped in hair. Personal observations and a review of the literature are presented in this paper to document the following clinical applications: hair as a screening procedure of psychiatric patients; hair and epileptic management; hair as a tool for monitoring neuroleptics; hair as evidence of gestational drug exposure; hair nicotine as a marker of passive exposure to tobacco; detection and clinical survey of heroin addict; evaluation of pharmaceutical exposure; hair analysis as a tool of clinical diagnosis; hair analysis for compliance monitoring.