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Júlio S, Ferro RA, Santos S, Alexandre A, Caldeira MJ, Franco J, Barroso M, Gaspar H. Synthesis of emerging cathinones and validation of a SPE GC-MS method for their simultaneous quantification in blood. Anal Bioanal Chem 2023; 415:571-589. [PMID: 36494605 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-022-04440-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Over the past 15 years, synthetic cathinones have emerged as an important class of new psychoactive substances (NPS) worldwide. The proliferation of these psychostimulants and their sought-after effects among recreational drug users pose a serious threat to public health and enormous challenges to forensic laboratories. For forensic institutions, it is essential to be one step ahead of covert laboratories, foreseeing the structural changes possible to introduce in the core skeleton of cathinones while maintaining their stimulating activity. In this manner, it is feasible to equip themselves with standards of possible new cathinones and validated analytical methods for their qualitative and quantitative detection. Therefore, the aim of the work herein described was to synthesize emerging cathinones based on the evolving patterns in the illicit drug market, and to develop an analytical method for their accurate determination in forensic situations. Five so far unreported cathinones [4'-methyl-N-dimethylbuphedrone (4-MDMB), 4'-methyl-N-ethylbuphedrone (4-MNEB), 4'-methyl-N-dimethylpentedrone (4-MDMP), 4'-methyl-N-dimethylhexedrone (4-MDMH), and 4'-methyl-N-diethylbuphedrone (4-MDEB)] and a sixth one, 4'-methyl-N-ethylpentedrone, already reported to EMCDDA and also known as 4-MEAP, were synthesized and fully characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS). An analytical method for the simultaneous quantification of these cathinones in blood, using solid phase extraction (SPE) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed and validated. The results prove that this methodology is selective, linear, precise, and accurate. For all target cathinones, the extraction efficiency was higher than 73%, linearity was observed in the range of 10 (lower limit of quantification, LLOQ) to 800 ng/mL, with coefficients of determination higher than 0.99, and the limits of detection (LODs) were 5 ng/mL for all target cathinones. The stability of these cathinones in blood matrices is dependent on the storage conditions; 4-MNEB is the most stable compound and 4-MDMH is the least stable compound. The low limits obtained allow the detection of the compounds in situations where they are involved, even if present at low concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Júlio
- BioISI - Biosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal.,Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade de Coimbra, Rua Larga, 3004-535, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Raquel A Ferro
- BioISI - Biosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Susana Santos
- Centro de Química Estrutural, Institute of Molecular Sciences, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Andrea Alexandre
- Laboratório de Polícia Científica da Polícia Judiciária - Setor de Drogas e Toxicologia, Rua Gomes Freire, 1169-007, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Maria João Caldeira
- Laboratório de Polícia Científica da Polícia Judiciária - Setor de Drogas e Toxicologia, Rua Gomes Freire, 1169-007, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - João Franco
- Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses, I.P. - Delegação do Sul, Serviço de Química e Toxicologia Forenses, Rua Manuel Bento de Sousa, 3, 1169-201, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Mário Barroso
- Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses, I.P. - Delegação do Sul, Serviço de Química e Toxicologia Forenses, Rua Manuel Bento de Sousa, 3, 1169-201, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Helena Gaspar
- BioISI - Biosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal. .,MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, Polytechnic of Leiria, 2520-630, Peniche, Portugal.
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Wang Q, Bian Y, Zhang Y, Sun DM, Wang WL, Zhou Y, Liu ZF, Feng XS, He ZW. Development of Sampling, Pretreatment and Detection Methods for Ephedrine and Related Substances in Complex Samples. Microchem J 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2023.108538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
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Zhang Y, Zhao YG, Zhu Y, Shi JW, Cai T, Zhang S. Simultaneous determination of 12 illicit drugs in human plasma by the PRiME clover-shaped nano-titania functionalized covalent organic frameworks pass-through cleanup procedure followed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr A 2022; 1671:463022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2022.463022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Synthesis of a novel polydopamine and C18 dual-functionalized magnetic core-shell mesoporous nanocomposite for enrichment and analysis of widely abused illegal drugs in urine samples on site and in the laboratory. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2022; 212:114656. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2022.114656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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Determination of 19 Psychoactive Substances in Premortem and Postmortem Whole Blood Samples Using Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry. SEPARATIONS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/separations8060078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
An ever-increasing need exists within the forensic laboratories to develop analytical processes for the qualitative and quantitative determination of a broad spectrum of new psychoactive substances. Phenylethylamine derivatives are among the major classes of psychoactive substances available on the global market and include both amphetamine analogues and synthetic cathinones. In this work, an ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-positive ion electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric method (UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS) has been developed and fully validated for the determination of 19 psychoactive substances, including nine amphetamine-type stimulants and 10 synthetic cathinone derivatives, in premortem and postmortem whole blood. The assay was based on the use of 1 mL premortem or postmortem whole blood, following solid phase extraction prior to the analysis. The separation was achieved on a Poroshell 120 EC-C18 analytical column with a gradient mobile phase of 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid in water in 9 min. The dynamic multiple reaction monitoring used in this work allowed for limit of detection (LOD) and lower limit of quantitation (LOQ) values of 0.5 and 2 ng mL−1, respectively, for all analytes both in premortem and postmortem whole blood samples. A quadratic calibration model was used for the 12 quantitative analytes over the concentration range of 20–2000 ng mL−1, and the method was shown to be precise and accurate both in premortem and postmortem whole blood. The method was applied to the analysis of real cases and proved to be a valuable tool in forensic and clinical toxicology.
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Fast determination of amphetamine-type stimulants and synthetic cathinones in whole blood samples using protein precipitation and LC-MS/MS. Microchem J 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2020.105895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Franco de Oliveira SCWSE, Zucoloto AD, de Oliveira CDR, Hernandez EMM, Fruchtengarten LVG, de Oliveira TF, Yonamine M. A fast and simple approach for the quantification of 40 illicit drugs, medicines, and pesticides in blood and urine samples by UHPLC-MS/MS. JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY : JMS 2019; 54:600-611. [PMID: 31066158 DOI: 10.1002/jms.4369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Revised: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
A fast and simple approach to overcome challenges in emergency toxicological analysis, using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) has been developed, for the detection of analytes in blood and urine samples from the following drug classes: analgesics, benzodiazepines, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, drugs of abuse, and pesticides. These substances are relevant in the context of emergency toxicology in Brazil. The sample preparation procedure was relatively easy and fast to perform. The method was fully validated giving limits of in the range of 0.5 and 20 ng mL-1 for blood and urine samples. The intraday and interday precision and accuracy were considered adequate for all analytes once the relative standard deviation (RSD) (%) was lower than 20% for quality control (QC) low and lower than 15% for CQ medium and high. The developed method was successfully applied to 320 real samples collected at the Poison Control Center of São Paulo, and 89.1% have shown to be positive for some of the analytes. This confirms its applicability and importance to emergency toxicological analysis, and it could be very useful in both fields of clinical and forensic toxicology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C W S E Franco de Oliveira
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Pharmacosciences Department, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Alexandre D Zucoloto
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Poison Control Center of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Tiago F de Oliveira
- Pharmacosciences Department, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Mauricio Yonamine
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
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Kurbanoglu S, Karsavurdan O, Ozkan SA. Recent Advances on Drug Analyses Using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatographic Techniques and their Application to the Biological Samples. CURR ANAL CHEM 2019. [DOI: 10.2174/1573411014666180423152612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Introduction:
Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatographic (UPLC) method enables analyst
to establish an analysis at higher pressure than High Performance Liquid Chromatographic (HPLC)
method towards liquid chromatographic methods. UPLC method provides the opportunity to study a
higher pressure compared to HPLC, and therefore smaller column in terms of particle size and internal
diameter are generally used in drug analysis. The UPLC method has attracted gradually due to its advantages
such as short analysis time, the small amount of waste reagents and the significant savings in
the cost of their destruction process. In this review, the recent selected studies related to the UPLC
method and its method validation are summarized. The drug analyses and the results of the studies
which were investigated by UPLC method, with certain parameters from literature are presented.
Background:
Quantitative determination of drug active substances by High-Performance Liquid
Chromatography (HPLC) from Liquid Chromatography (LC) methods has been carried out since the
1970's with the use of standard analytical LC methods. In today's conditions, rapid and very fast even
ultra-fast, flow rates are achieved compared to conventional HPLC due to shortening analysis times,
increasing method efficiency and resolution, reducing sample volume (and hence injection volume),
reducing waste mobile phase. Using smaller particles, the speed and peak capacity are expanding to
new limit and this technology is named as Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography. In recent years,
as a general trend in liquid chromatography, ultra-performance liquid chromatography has taken the
place of HPLC methods. The time of analysis was for several minutes, now with a total analysis time
of around 1-2 minutes. The benefits of transferring HPLC to UPLC are much better understood when
considering the thousands of analyzes performed for each active substance, in order to reduce the cost
of analytical laboratories where relevant analysis of drug active substances are performed without
lowering the cost of research and development activities.
Methods:
The German Chemist Friedrich Ferdinand Runge, proposed the use of reactive impregnated
filter paper for the identification of dyestuffs in 1855 and at that time the first chromatographic method
in which a liquid mobile phase was used, was reviewed. Christian Friedrich Chönbein, who reported
that the substances were dragged at different speeds in the filter paper due to capillary effect, was
followed by the Russian botanist Mikhail S. Tswet, who planted studies on color pigment in 1906.
Tswet observes the color separations of many plant pigments, such as chlorophyll and xanthophyll
when he passes the plant pigment extract isolated from plant through the powder CaCO3 that he filled
in the glass column. This method based on color separation gives the name of "chromatographie"
chromatography by using the words "chroma" meaning "Latin" and "graphein" meaning writing.
Results and Conclusion:
Because the UPLC method can be run smoothly at higher pressures than the
HPLC method, it offers the possibility of analyzing using much smaller column sizes and column diameters.
Moreover, UPLC method has advantages, such as short analysis time, the small amount of
waste reagents and the significant savings in the cost of their destruction process. The use of the
UPLC method especially analyses in biological samples such as human plasma, brain sample, rat
plasma, etc. increasingly time-consuming due to the fact that the analysis time is very short compared
to the HPLC, because of the small amount of waste analytes and the considerable savings in their cost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sevinc Kurbanoglu
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Ozer Karsavurdan
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Sibel A. Ozkan
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
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Abstract
One of the most fascinating drugs in the anesthesiologist's armament is ketamine, an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist with a myriad of uses. The drug is a dissociative anesthetic and has been used more often as an analgesic in numerous hospital units, outpatient pain clinics, and in the prehospital realm. It has been used to treat postoperative pain, chronic pain, complex regional pain syndrome, phantom limb pain, and other neuropathic conditions requiring analgesia. Research has also demonstrated its efficacy as an adjunct in psychotherapy, as a treatment for both depression and posttraumatic stress disorder, as a procedural sedative, and as a treatment for respiratory and neurologic conditions. Ketamine is not without its adverse effects, some of which can be mitigated with certain efforts. Such effects make it necessary for the clinician to use the drug only in situations where it will provide the greatest benefit with the fewest adverse effects. To the best of our knowledge, none of the reviews regarding ketamine have taken a comprehensive look at the drug's uses in all territories of medicine. This review will serve to touch on its chemical data, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, medical uses, and adverse effects while focusing specifically on the drugs usage in anesthesia and analgesia.
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Teng X, Liang C, Wang R, Sun T, Rao Y, Ni C, Zeng L, Xiong L, Li Y, Zhang Y. Screening of drugs of abuse and toxic compounds in human whole blood using online solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry. J Sep Sci 2014; 38:50-9. [DOI: 10.1002/jssc.201400963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2014] [Revised: 10/13/2014] [Accepted: 10/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaomei Teng
- State Key Laboratory of New Drug and Pharmaceutical Process; Shanghai Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry; Shanghai P. R. China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence; Shanghai Institute of Forensic Science; Shanghai P. R. China
| | - Chen Liang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence; Shanghai Institute of Forensic Science; Shanghai P. R. China
| | - Rong Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence; Shanghai Institute of Forensic Science; Shanghai P. R. China
| | - Tao Sun
- Esensing Analytical Technology; Shanghai P. R. China
| | - Yulan Rao
- Department of Forensic Medicine (Center of Forensic Science); School of Basic Medical Sciences; Fudan University; Shanghai P. R. China
| | - Chunfang Ni
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence; Shanghai Institute of Forensic Science; Shanghai P. R. China
| | - Libo Zeng
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence; Shanghai Institute of Forensic Science; Shanghai P. R. China
| | - Lingjuan Xiong
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence; Shanghai Institute of Forensic Science; Shanghai P. R. China
| | - Yuan Li
- Esensing Analytical Technology; Shanghai P. R. China
| | - Yurong Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence; Shanghai Institute of Forensic Science; Shanghai P. R. China
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Nosseir NS, Michels G, Binder P, Wiesen MHJ, Müller C. Simultaneous detection of ketamine, lorazepam, midazolam and sufentanil in human serum with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for monitoring of analgosedation in critically ill patients. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2014; 973C:133-141. [PMID: 25464106 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2014.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2014] [Revised: 09/28/2014] [Accepted: 10/05/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method has been developed and validated for the determination and quantification of four predominantly used analgosedatives in the intensive care unit: ketamine, lorazepam, midazolam and sufentanil in human serum. The extraction procedure consisted of protein precipitation of serum samples with acetonitrile and subsequent centrifugation. D5-fentanyl and D4-midazolam served as internal standards (ISTD). Separation of analytes was performed with a Hypersil C18 column and a mobile phase with acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid (60/40, v/v) under isocratic conditions at a flow rate of 280μl/min. Analytes were simultaneously detected with a triple-stage quadrupole mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS) in a selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode with positive heated electrospray ionization (HESI) within a single 2-min run. Calibration curves were linear over a range of 50-2000 for ketamine, 10-1000 for lorazepam, 5-500 for midazolam and 1-100 for sufentanil (ng/ml). The limit of detection and the lower limit of quantification were 0.01 and 10.00 for ketamine, 0.005 and 10.00 for lorazepam, 0.018 and 5.00 for midazolam and 0.068 and 0.25 for sufentanil (ng/ml). Intra- and inter-day accuracies and precisions of all analytes were less than 15%. Bench stability with spiked serum samples was ensured after 12, 24 and 48h at room temperature, freeze- and thaw-stability after 3 cycles of thawing and freezing. The method was successfully established according to International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guideline Q2 (R1) "Validation of Analytical Procedures" and applied in critically ill adult patients in the intensive care unit. We suggest its suitability for parallel quantification of the sedative analgesics ketamine, lorazepam, midazolam and sufentanil. The method serves as an instrumental tool for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and pharmacokinetic studies [1].
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Affiliation(s)
- N S Nosseir
- Institute of Pharmacology, Department of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, University Hospital of Cologne, Germany
| | - G Michels
- Department III of Internal Medicine, Heartcenter, University Hospital of Cologne, Germany
| | - P Binder
- Department III of Internal Medicine, Heartcenter, University Hospital of Cologne, Germany
| | - M H J Wiesen
- Institute of Pharmacology, Department of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, University Hospital of Cologne, Germany
| | - C Müller
- Institute of Pharmacology, Department of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, University Hospital of Cologne, Germany.
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