Application of hair analysis to document illegal 5-methoxy-N,N-dissopropyltrptamine (5-MeO-DiPT) use

LC-MS-MS Determination of 88 Psychotropic Drugs in 1,865 Hair Samples from Addicts in Drug Abstinence

The emergence of novel drugs and the continuous expansion of the scope of the types of drugs under control have greatly increased requests for screening of a range of drugs in hair. Here, a multi-analyte method for the detection and quantification of 88 psychotropic drugs in the hair of addicts in drug abstinence was developed and fully validated using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS). Hair samples (25 mg) were washed, cut into pieces, cryogenically ground and extracted in methanol. The extracted analytes were separated on an Allure PFP Propyl column (100 × 2.1 mm, 5 mm inside diameter, Restek, USA) and analyzed by LC-MS-MS in multiple reaction monitoring modes. The limits of detection and the limits of quantification ranged from 0.1 to 20 pg/mg and 0.2 to 50 pg/mg, respectively. The intra- and inter-assay precisions (relative standard deviation (RSD)) of all analyses ranged from 0.9% to 14.9% and 1.9% to 15.9%, respectively. Accuracy values were 100 ± 20%. The extraction recovery of quality control samples ranged from 50.9% to 99.6% for all analytes. The matrix effects for all analytes ranged from 46.8% to 99.7%. The method was successfully used to analyze 1,865 hair samples from addicts in drug rehabilitation at their own communities. Among the samples, 129 cases were positive; the majority of positive cases were from males (78.29%), 92.25% of whom were >35 years old. Traditional drugs, like methamphetamine and opioids, accounted for most positive cases, and 27 of the abstinence cases with a use history of methamphetamine were still positive. In addition to abused drugs, like methamphetamine, morphine and cocaine, the sedative-hypnotic and psychotherapeutic drugs, including clonazepam, alprazolam, estazolam, zolpidem and quetiapine, were detected in 26% of the hair samples, suggesting that these addicts may have insomnia and mental problems such as depression and psychosis, probably due to the long-term effects of drugs and withdrawal reactions. Three synthetic cannabinoids were also detected in four (2.7%) cases. A total of 37 cases were positive for methadone, tramadol and dextromethorphan, reflecting a new trend of alternative drug use when traditional drugs were not easy to obtain during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak.

Determination of amphetamines, ketamine and their metabolites in hair with high-speed grinding and solid-phase microextraction followed by LC-MS

A novel hair sample pre-treatment method based on high-speed grinding and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) had been applied for the determination of amphetamines, ketamine and their metabolites in hair samples by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). A 20 mg sample of hair was ground with 2 mL of saturated sodium carbonate solution using a high-efficiency hair grinder with 70 Hz oscillation for 2 min at 4 °C. After centrifuging, 1.5 mL of the supernatant was transferred and treated with SPME by direct immersion (DI-SPME). The target analytes extracted by fibre were desorbed and analysed using LC-MS. Under the optimum conditions, a recovery of 90.2%–95.8% was obtained for all analytes. The analytical method was linear for all analytes in the range from 0.2 to 10 ng/mg with the correlation coefficient ranging from 0.9985 to 0.9993. The detection limits for all analytes were estimated to be 0.067 ng/mg. The accuracy (mean relative error) was within ±6.9% and the precision (relative standard error) was less than 6.8%. The combination of high-speed grinding of hair and SPME had the advantages of being easy to perform, environment-friendly and high in detection sensitivity. The proposed method offered an alternative analytical approach for the sensitive detection of drugs in hair samples for forensic purposes.

Key Points

The SPME was involved for the determination of drugs in hair with LC-MS.

The hair high-speed grinding combined with SPME was firstly developed.

Good linearity, sensitivity, recovery and precision were achieved.

Current status of hair analysis in forensic toxicology in China

Hair analysis has been mainly used to document drug use history in abusers, drug-facilitated crime cases, doping control analysis and postmortem toxicology in the fields of forensic toxicology, clinical toxicology, and doping control. Hair analysis has also gained more attention in the last 30 years in China. Relevant technology has been promoted as more research has appeared concerning hair analysis, and consensus has been sought among forensic toxicologists regarding aspects such as hair decontamination treatment, detection of abused substances in hair, segmental hair analysis and interpretation of analytical results. However, there are still some limitations in the estimation of drug intake time and frequency by segmental hair analysis due to the different growth cycles evident within a bundle of hairs, the drug incorporation mechanism and sampling errors. Microsampling and imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) technology based on a single hair may be a good choice to estimate drug intake time more accurately. Analysis of hair root samples may also be used to document acute poisoning in postmortem toxicology, and the analysis of the hair shaft can document long-term use of drugs depending on the length of the hair being evaluated.

Hair analysis for New Psychoactive Substances (NPS): Still far from becoming the tool to study NPS spread in the community?

In this review article, we performed an overview of extraction and chromatographic analysis methods of NPS in hair from 2007 to 2021, evaluating the limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), limit of reporting (LOR), and limit of identification (LOI) values reported for each NPS. Our review aimed to highlight the limitations of modern hair analytical techniques, and the prerequisites for the proper evaluation and use of analytical results in relation to the objectives of NPS hair analysis. In the selected studies the detection of a total of 280 NPS was reported. The detected NPS belonged to seven classes: synthetic cannabinoids with 109 different substances, synthetic opioids with 58, cathinones with 50, phenethylamines with 34, other NPS with 15, tryptamines with ten, and piperazines with four substances. The NPS hair analysis of real forensic/ clinical cases reported the detection of only 80 NPS (out of the 280 targeted), in significantly higher levels than the respective LODs. The analytical protocols reviewed herein for NPS hair analysis showed continuously growing trends to identify as many NPS as possible; the extraction methods seem to have a limited potential to improve, while the various mass spectroscopic techniques and relevant instrumentation provide an enormous field for development and application. Hair is a biological indicator of the past chronic, sub-chronic, and, even, in certain cases, acute exposure to xenobiotics. Therefore, future research in the field could progress NPS hair analysis and aim the monitoring of NPS expansion and extent of use in the community.

Detection of amfepramone and its metabolite cathinone in human hair: Application to a uthentic cases of amfepramone use

In recent years, overseas anti-obesity drugs including amfepramone have flowed into China through the internet or personal import by travelers. Amfepramone is controlled in China and is not available as a pharmaceutical product. It is obtainable either through the internet or imported by individuals across the border. The abuse of amfepramone is causing serious health problems. A method for the detection and quantification of amfepramone and its metabolite cathinone in human hair was developed and fully validated using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Approximately 10 mg of hair was weighed and pulverized with extraction solvent (a mixture of methanol: acetonitrile: 2 mM ammonium formate [pH 5.3] [25:29:46, v/v/v]). The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantitation (LOQ) were 5 and 10 pg/mg, respectively. The method was linear over a concentration range from 10 to 10,000 pg/mg. The accuracy varied from -9.3% to 2.3%, with acceptable intra- and inter-day precision. The validated method was successfully applied to 17 authentic cases. The amfepramone concentrations ranged from 11.7 to 209 pg/mg, with a median of 30.2 pg/mg, and the hair cathinone concentrations ranged from 11.9 to 507 pg/mg, with a median of 54.0 pg/mg. This is the first report of amfepramone concentrations in human hair from amfepramone users. Cathinone can be incorporated into hair after amfepramone use.

Analysis of 28 hair samples from users of the hallucinogenic beverage ayahuasca

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive beverage widely used in religious ceremonies in Amazonia. Dimethyltryptamine is the main active compound of ayahuasca. Dimethyltryptamine has many hazardous effects, including hallucinations. In the present study, a fast and reliable UPLC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for the quantitation of dimethyltryptamine in hair samples. Twenty-milligram hair samples were pulverized with methanol below 4 °C. After ultrasonication, centrifugation and filtration, 200 μL of supernatant was placed into an autosampler vial for LC-MS/MS analysis. The lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) was 3 pg/mg. The resulting calibration curve for dimethyltryptamine fit the expression y = 281.50213x + 0.00231 (R2 = 0.992). Acceptable intraday and interday precision (RSD < 15%) and accuracy (92-113%) were achieved. The dilution integrity was deemed acceptable based on accuracy (96%) and precision (1.8%). The validated method was successfully applied to 28 forensic cases. The concentrations of dimethyltryptamine ranged from 3 to 1109 pg/mg.

Toxicology and Analysis of Psychoactive Tryptamines

Our understanding of tryptamines is poor due to the lack of data globally. Tryptamines currently are not part of typical toxicology testing regimens and their contribution to drug overdoses may be underestimated. Although their prevalence was low, it is increasing. There are few published data on the many new compounds, their mechanisms of action, onset and duration of action, toxicity, signs and symptoms of intoxication and analytical methods to identify tryptamines and their metabolites. We review the published literature and worldwide databases to describe the newest tryptamines, their toxicology, chemical structures and reported overdose cases. Tryptamines are 5-HT2A receptor agonists that produce altered perceptions of reality. Currently, the most prevalent tryptamines are 5-methoxy-N,N-diisopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-DiPT), 5-methoxy-N,N- diallyltryptamine (5-MeO-DALT) and dimethyltryptamine (DMT). From 2015 to 2020, 22 new analytical methods were developed to identify/quantify tryptamines and metabolites in biological samples, primarily by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The morbidity accompanying tryptamine intake is considerable and it is critical for clinicians and laboratorians to be informed of the latest data on this public health threat.

UHPLC-MS/MS method for simultaneously detecting 16 tryptamines and their metabolites in human hair and applications to real forensics cases

Tryptamines are hallucinogenic substances many of which have appeared recently as novel psychoactive substances (NPS). Herein, we describe the establishment of a rapid UHPLC-MS/MS quantitative method for the targeted screening of 16 tryptamines of abuse in hair. Twenty milligram pieces of hair were pulverized below 4 °C in 0.5 mL of deionized water containing 0.1% formic acid and an internal standard (2 ng/mL psilocin-d₁₀ and psilocybin-d₄). After subsequent centrifugation, 5 μL of the supernatant was injected into a LC-MS/MS system fitted with a Waters Acquity UPLC HSS T₃ column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.8 μm). The column was gradient eluted at 0.3 mL/min with mobile phases composed of 20 mmol/L ammonium acetate, 5% acetonitrile, and 0.1% formic acid in water (solvent A) and acetonitrile (solvent B). Limits of detection ranged between 0.1 and 20 pg/mg, with limits of quantitation ranging from 3 to 50 pg/mg. The calibration curves for all analytes were linear (r > 0.992). Accuracies varied between 91% and 114%, with intraday precision RSDs < 14% and interday precision RSDs of between 1.3% and 14%. The recoveries of all tryptamines were in the 85-115% range, with the matrix effect ranging from 95% to 112%. The validated method was successfully used to analyse 191 hair samples from suspected tryptamine users, 77 of which were 5-MeO-DiPT-positive, while the 16 tryptamines and their metabolites were not detected in the remaining 114 hair samples. 5-MeO-DiPT and its 5-MeO-NiPT, 5-OH-DiPT, and 4-OH-DiPT metabolites were concurrently detected in 34 hair samples. 5-MeO-DiPT, as the parent drug, was the parent substance found in the hair samples.