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Newton PN, Chesson LA, Mayxay M, Dondorp A, Tabernero P, Howa JD, Cerling TE. Forensic investigation of falsified antimalarials using isotope ratio mass spectrometry: a pilot investigation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3995. [PMID: 38369604 PMCID: PMC10874941 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54168-9] [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: 08/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
We explored whether isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) is useful to investigate the origin of falsified antimalarials. Forty-four falsified and genuine antimalarial samples (artesunate, artemether-lumefantrine, dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine and sulphamethopyrazine-pyrimethamine) were analyzed in bulk for carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and oxygen (O) element concentrations and stable isotope ratios. The insoluble fraction ("starch") was extracted from 26 samples and analyzed. Samples of known geographical origin maize, a common source of excipient starch, were used to produce a comparison dataset to predict starch source. In both an initial (n = 18) and a follow-on set of samples that contained/claimed to contain artesunate/artemether (n = 26), falsified antimalarials had a range of C concentrations less than genuine comparator antimalarials and δ13C values higher than genuine comparators. The δ13C values of falsified antimalarials suggested that C4 plant-based organic material (e.g., starch derived from maize) had been included. Using the known-origin maize samples, predictions for growth water δ18O values for the extracted "starch" ranged from - 6.10 to - 1.62‰. These findings suggest that IRMS may be a useful tool for profiling falsified antimalarials. We found that C4 ingredients were exclusively used in falsified antimalarials versus genuine antimalarials, and that it may be possible to predict potential growth water δ18O values for the starch present in falsified antimalarials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul N Newton
- Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Research Unit (LOMWRU), Microbiology Laboratory, Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Lao PDR.
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Infectious Diseases Data Observatory, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | | | - Mayfong Mayxay
- Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Research Unit (LOMWRU), Microbiology Laboratory, Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Lao PDR
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Institute of Research and Education Development (IRED), University of Health Sciences, Ministry of Health, Vientiane, Lao PDR
| | - Arjen Dondorp
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Mahidol Oxford Research Unit (MORU), Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Patricia Tabernero
- Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Research Unit (LOMWRU), Microbiology Laboratory, Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Lao PDR
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Infectious Diseases Data Observatory, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Public Health Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | | | - Thure E Cerling
- IsoForensics, Inc, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Department of Geology and Geophysics and Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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Cormick J, Carter JF, Currie T, Matheson C, Cresswell SL. Isotope fractionation during the synthesis of MDMA.HCl from helional. Forensic Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forc.2022.100406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Laposchan S, Kranenburg RF, van Asten AC. Impurities, adulterants and cutting agents in cocaine as potential candidates for retrospective mining of GC-MS data. Sci Justice 2022; 62:60-75. [PMID: 35033329 DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2021.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Cocaine is one of the most widely used illicit drugs worldwide. Cocaine powders seized by the Police may contain numerous other substances besides the drug itself. These can be impurities originating from the coca plant or the production process, or be purposely added to the drug formulation as adulterants and cutting agents. In forensic laboratories, identification of cocaine is routinely done through GC-MS analysis, but other components are often ignored even if the method allows for their detection. Yet, they can provide valuable insight into the history of a seizure and its potential connection to other samples. To explore this idea, an extensive review of common impurities and adulterants encountered in cocaine is presented. Based on their incidence, concentration in the end product and compatibility with GC-MS methods, their overall usefulness as candidates for the statistical investigation of existing forensic data is evaluated. The impurities cis- and trans-cinnamoylcocaine, tropacocaine, norcocaine and N-benzoylnormethylecgonine as well as the adulterants lidocaine, procaine, tetracaine, benzocaine, caffeine, acetylsalicylic acid, phenacetin, ibuprofen, levamisole, hydroxyzine and diltiazem are promising candidates to provide additional forensic intelligence. Future research on optimized routine GC-MS methods, signal reproducibility, comparison, statistics and databases is suggested to facilitate this concept. Ultimately, such an approach may significantly advance the amount of information that is extracted from routine casework data, elucidate developments in the cocaine markets in the past and facilitate Police work in the future. Preliminary assessment of existing data from the forensic laboratory of the Amsterdam Police has been included to show that the detection of the identified target impurities is feasible, and that small adjustments to the analysis method could significantly increase the detectability of these analytes in prospective drug screenings. Forensic intelligence based on retrospective data mining of cocaine containing casework samples may thus be realized with minimal additional laboratory efforts by using already available instrumentation, samples and data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Laposchan
- Dutch National Police, Unit Amsterdam, Forensic Laboratory, Kabelweg 25, Amsterdam 1014 BA, The Netherlands; Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94157, Amsterdam 1090 GD, The Netherlands
| | - Ruben F Kranenburg
- Dutch National Police, Unit Amsterdam, Forensic Laboratory, Kabelweg 25, Amsterdam 1014 BA, The Netherlands; Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94157, Amsterdam 1090 GD, The Netherlands.
| | - Arian C van Asten
- Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94157, Amsterdam 1090 GD, The Netherlands; Co van Ledden Hulsebosch Center (CLHC), Amsterdam Center for Forensic Science and Medicine, Postbus 94157, Amsterdam 1090 GD, The Netherlands
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Carby-Robinson D, Dalsgaard PW, Mollerup CB, Linnet K, Rasmussen BS. Cocaine profiling method retrospectively developed with nontargeted discovery of markers using liquid chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry data. Drug Test Anal 2021; 14:462-473. [PMID: 34265168 PMCID: PMC9291609 DOI: 10.1002/dta.3130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 07/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Illicit drug profiling performed by forensic laboratories assists law enforcement agencies through providing information about chemical and/or physical characteristics of seized specimens. In this article, a model was developed for the comparison of seized cocaine based on retrospective analysis of data generated from ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography with time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC‐TOF‐MS) comprehensive drug screening. A nontargeted approach to discover target compounds was employed, which generated 53 potential markers using data from cocaine positive samples. Twelve marker compounds were selected for the development of the final profiling model. The selection included a mixture of commonly used cocaine profiling targets and other cocaine‐related compounds. Combinations of pretreatments and comparison metrics were assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves to determine the combination with the best discrimination between linked and unlinked populations. Using data from 382 linked and 34,519 unlinked distances, a classification model was developed using a combination of the standardization and normalization transformations with Canberra distance, resulting in a linked cut‐off with a 0.5% false positive rate. The present study demonstrates the applicability of retrospectively developing a cocaine profiling model using data generated from UHPLC‐TOF‐MS nontargeted drug screening without pre‐existing information about cocaine impurities. The developed workflow was not specific to cocaine and thus could potentially be applied to any seized drug in which there are both sufficient data and impurities present.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Carby-Robinson
- Section of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Petur Weihe Dalsgaard
- Section of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christian Brinch Mollerup
- Section of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kristian Linnet
- Section of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Brian Schou Rasmussen
- Section of Forensic Chemistry, Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Maddela NR, Kakarla D, García LC, Chakraborty S, Venkateswarlu K, Megharaj M. Cocoa-laden cadmium threatens human health and cacao economy: A critical view. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 720:137645. [PMID: 32146410 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In the recent decades, Cd burden in cocoa-based products threatened global food safety, human health and the future of chocolateries. Increased Cd bioavailability is an acute problem in cacao-based horticulture. Poverty, poor maintenance, unjustified traditional farming, and paucity of knowledge on Cd-binding propensity in cacao discourage the application of risk-mitigation measures. Progressive accumulation of Cd, with a half-life of 10-30 years, in the human body even at ultra-trace levels may lead to serious health complications. If Cd accumulates in the food chain through cocoa products, consequences in children, who are the primary consumers of chocolates, include morbidity and mortality that may result in a significant demographic transition by the year 2050. Developing cacao clones with an innate capability of taking up low Cd levels from soils, and site-specific Cd-cacao research might contribute to limiting the trophic transfer of Cd. This review highlights the possible routes for Cd uptake in cacao plants and discusses the measures to rescue the chocolateries from Cd pollution to promote "healthy" cacao farming. The potential human health risks of chocolate-laden Cd and mitigation strategies to minimize Cd burden in the human body are also presented. The challenges and prospects in Cd-cacao research are discussed as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naga Raju Maddela
- Instituto de Investigación, Universidad Técnica de Manabí, Portoviejo 130105, Ecuador; Facultad la Ciencias la Salud, Universidad Técnica de Manabí, Portoviejo 130105, Ecuador
| | - Dhatri Kakarla
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Luz Cecilia García
- Instituto de Investigación, Universidad Técnica de Manabí, Portoviejo 130105, Ecuador; Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad Técnica de Manabí, Portoviejo 130105, Ecuador
| | - Sagnik Chakraborty
- Hebei University of Technology, School of Energy & Environmental Engineering, Beichen, Tianjin, PR China
| | - Kadiyala Venkateswarlu
- Formerly Department of Microbiology, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapuramu 515003, India
| | - Mallavarapu Megharaj
- Global Centre for Environmental Remediation (GCER), Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE), The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia.
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Jones NS, Comparin JH. Interpol review of controlled substances 2016-2019. Forensic Sci Int Synerg 2020; 2:608-669. [PMID: 33385148 PMCID: PMC7770462 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2020.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
This review paper covers the forensic-relevant literature in controlled substances from 2016 to 2019 as a part of the 19th Interpol International Forensic Science Managers Symposium. The review papers are also available at the Interpol website at: https://www.interpol.int/content/download/14458/file/Interpol%20Review%20Papers%202019.pdf.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole S. Jones
- RTI International, Applied Justice Research Division, Center for Forensic Sciences, 3040 E. Cornwallis Road, Research Triangle Park, NC, 22709-2194, USA
| | - Jeffrey H. Comparin
- United States Drug Enforcement Administration, Special Testing and Research Laboratory, USA
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Meier‐Augenstein W. Forensic stable isotope signatures: Comparing, geo‐locating, detecting linkage. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/wfs2.1339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Applying the principles of isotope analysis in plant and animal ecology to forensic science in the Americas. Oecologia 2018; 187:1077-1094. [PMID: 29955984 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4188-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The heart of forensic science is application of the scientific method and analytical approaches to answer questions central to solving a crime: Who, What, When, Where, and How. Forensic practitioners use fundamentals of chemistry and physics to examine evidence and infer its origin. In this regard, ecological researchers have had a significant impact on forensic science through the development and application of a specialized measurement technique-isotope analysis-for examining evidence. Here, we review the utility of isotope analysis in forensic settings from an ecological perspective, concentrating on work from the Americas completed within the last three decades. Our primary focus is on combining plant and animal physiological models with isotope analyses for source inference. Examples of the forensic application of isotopes-including stable isotopes, radiogenic isotopes, and radioisotopes-span from cotton used in counterfeit bills to anthrax shipped through the U.S. Postal Service and from beer adulterated with cheap adjuncts to human remains discovered in shallow graves. Recent methodological developments and the generation of isotope landscapes, or isoscapes, for data interpretation promise that isotope analysis will be a useful tool in ecological and forensic studies for decades to come.
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Distinctions in heterotrophic and autotrophic-based metabolism as recorded in the hydrogen and carbon isotope ratios of normal alkanes. Oecologia 2018; 187:1053-1075. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4189-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2017] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Mallette JR, Casale JF, Colley VL, Morello DR, Jordan J. Changes in illicit cocaine hydrochloride processing identified and revealed through multivariate analysis of cocaine signature data. Sci Justice 2018. [PMID: 29526270 DOI: 10.1016/j.scijus.2017.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
For nearly 30years, the methods utilized in illicit cocaine hydrochloride production have remained relatively consistent. Cocaine hydrochloride is typically produced one kilogram at a time. As a result, each individual kilogram is unique and distinct from other kilograms in any particular seizure based on the total alkaloid profile, occluded solvent profile, and isotopic signature. Additionally, multi-kilogram cocaine seizures are often comprised of cocaine from several different coca growing regions. There has been a documented shift in this type of processing based on the recent analysis of a large cocaine seizure in the Eastern Pacific. Signature analyses of samples from 21kg randomly selected from a 517kg seizure were virtually identical. Triplicate analyses of each sample via gas chromatography with flame ionization detection, static headspace gas chromatography mass spectrometry, and isotope ratio mass spectrometry were completed. An initial outlier evaluation of the data and an in-depth univariate analysis indicated there was no statistically significant difference among the 21 samples at the 95% confidence interval. Principal components analysis did reveal consistent minor deviations between the samples and known authentic data from the Nariño coca growing region of Colombia. These deviations were only observed on the latter principal components and could be explained by differences in solvent selection during cocaine hydrochloride processing. Chemical analyses in addition to a thorough statistical evaluation suggest a shift in the traditional small-batch method of cocaine processing to a multi-kilogram, high throughput approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer R Mallette
- U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Special Testing and Research Laboratory, Dulles, VA 20166, USA.
| | - John F Casale
- U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Special Testing and Research Laboratory, Dulles, VA 20166, USA
| | - Valerie L Colley
- U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Special Testing and Research Laboratory, Dulles, VA 20166, USA
| | - David R Morello
- U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Special Testing and Research Laboratory, Dulles, VA 20166, USA
| | - James Jordan
- National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, Springfield, VA 20150, USA
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