1
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Tseng LP, Lan YS, Lee YH, Lee YC, Chou YC, Lee HH, Chang MY, Liang SS, Lin YC. Optimizing analytical precision in the identification of synthetic cathinones and isomers: a comparative assessment of diverse GC-MS operating parameters. ANAL SCI 2024:10.1007/s44211-024-00572-0. [PMID: 38649628 DOI: 10.1007/s44211-024-00572-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Analyzing new psychoactive substances (NPSs) in forensic laboratories present a formidable challenge globally. Within illicit drug analysis, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) emerges as a robust analytical tool. This study endeavors to assess and compare peak resolution in the analysis of illicit drugs, specifically focusing on 21 synthetic cathinones, encompassing 9 cathinone isomers. Varied GC-MS operating conditions, including distinct GC-MS columns and thermal gradients, were systematically employed for the simultaneous analysis of these synthetic cathinones. The study utilized HP-1 nonpolar and HP-5MS low-bleed columns to achieve optimal analyte resolution through modulation of GC-MS oven conditions. Mass spectra were meticulously recorded within a mass-to-charge (m/z) range spanning from 40 to 500 in full scan mode. The data showed that the cathinone isomers slightly differed in retention times and mass spectra. The GC oven conditions affected the peak resolution for chromatographic separation even with the same column. The peak resolution improved using a slower thermal gradient heat speed with a prolonged analysis time. Conclusively, the interplay of GC columns and thermal gradients emerged as pivotal factors impacting peak resolution in the analysis of illicit drugs. These empirical insights contribute to a nuanced understanding of peak resolution dynamics and facilitate the identification of synthetic cathinones, including their isomers, in seized materials through the judicious application of GC-MS methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Ping Tseng
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, #100, Tz-You 1st Road, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Yung-Sheng Lan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, #100, Tz-You 1st Road, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Yung-Hung Lee
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, #100, Tz-You 1st Road, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Yi-Cheng Lee
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, #100, Tz-You 1st Road, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Yi-Cheng Chou
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, #100, Tz-You 1st Road, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Hei-Hwa Lee
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, #100, Tz-You 1st Road, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Mei-Ying Chang
- Department of Photonics, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Shin Liang
- Department of Biotechnology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ching Lin
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, #100, Tz-You 1st Road, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan, ROC.
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan.
- Doctoral Degree Program of Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan.
- Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, 807, Taiwan.
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2
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de Faria LV, Macedo AA, Arantes LC, Matias TA, Ramos DLO, Richter EM, Dos Santos WTP, Muñoz RAA. Novel disposable and portable 3D-printed electrochemical apparatus for fast and selective screening of 25E-NBOH in forensic samples. Talanta 2024; 269:125476. [PMID: 38042144 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2023.125476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023]
Abstract
The advent of new psychoactive substances (NPS) has caused enormous difficulty for legal control since they are rapidly commercialized, and their chemical structures are routinely altered. In this aspect, derivatives phenethylamines, such as 25E-NBOH, have received great attention in the forensic scenario. Hence, we propose portable and cost-effective (U$ 5.00) 3D-printed devices for the electrochemical screening of 25E-NBOH for the first time. The cell and all electrodes were printed using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene filament (insulating material) and conductive filament (graphite embedded in a polylactic acid matrix), respectively, both by the fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing technique. The electrochemical apparatus enables micro-volume analysis (50-2000 μL), especially important for low sample volumes. A mechanistic route for the electrochemical oxidation of 25E-NBOH is proposed based on cyclic voltammetric data, which showed two oxidation processes around +0.75 V and +1.00 V and a redox pair between +0.2 and -0.2 V (vs. graphite ink pseudo-reference). A fast and sensitive square-wave voltammetry method was developed, which exhibited a linear working range from 0.85 to 5.1 μmoL-1, detection limit of 0.2 μmol L-1, and good intra-electrode precision (n = 10, RSD <5.3 %). Inter-electrode measurements (n = 3, RSD <9.8 %) also attested that the electrode production process is reproducible. Interference tests in the presence of other drugs frequently found in blotting paper indicated high selectivity of the electrochemical method for screening of 25E-NBOH. Screening analysis of blotting paper confirmed the presence of 25E-NBOH in the seized samples. Moreover, a recovery percentage close to 100 % was found for a spiked saliva sample, suggesting the method's usefulness for quantitative purposes aimed at information on recent drug use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas V de Faria
- Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, 38400-902, Brazil; Department of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Fluminense Federal University, 24020-141, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Anne A Macedo
- Department of Chemistry, Federal University of the Jequitinhonha and Mucuri, Diamantina, MG, 39100-000, Brazil
| | - Luciano C Arantes
- Forensic Chemistry and Physics Laboratory, Institute of Forensic Science, Civil Police of the Brazilian Federal District, Brasília, DF, 70610-907, Brazil
| | - Tiago A Matias
- Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, 38400-902, Brazil; Chemistry Department, Federal University of Espírito Santo - UFES, 29075-910, Vitória, ES, Brazil
| | - David L O Ramos
- Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, 38400-902, Brazil
| | - Eduardo M Richter
- Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, 38400-902, Brazil; National Institute of Science and Technology in Bioanalytics (INCT-Bio), Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | - Wallans T P Dos Santos
- Department of Pharmacy, Federal University of the Jequitinhonha and Mucuri, Diamantina, MG, 39100-000, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo A A Muñoz
- Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, 38400-902, Brazil; National Institute of Science and Technology in Bioanalytics (INCT-Bio), Campinas, SP, Brazil.
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3
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Pulver B, Fischmann S, Gallegos A, Christie R. EMCDDA framework and practical guidance for naming cathinones. Drug Test Anal 2024. [PMID: 38389255 DOI: 10.1002/dta.3662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Cathinones are often sold as "legal" alternatives to controlled stimulants such as amphetamine, MDMA and cocaine. Cathinones are the second largest group of new psychoactive substances (NPS), with close to 170 monitored by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). Although all cathinones are related to the parent compound cathinone, one of the psychoactive principles in khat, assigning consistent, informative and user-friendly common names to these substances is challenging. Over time different naming approaches have been applied, leading to cathinones being known by several names. This work provides a framework and practical examples for the consistent naming of cathinones which is easy to understand and can be applied by the forensic community, researchers, clinical practitioners, and policy makers. The scope of the issue and rationale for earlier naming approaches are also discussed. The new naming framework has been developed based on established naming approaches and centered around the common "cathinone," and "phenone" motifs/scaffolds. The proposed framework establishes clear rules to derive the EMCDDA framework names for cathinones. Each name is, in turn, composed by a principal name containing a parent letter, derived after the "cathinone" or the "phenone" scaffold. Additional substitutions are prepended to the principal name. The framework also provides for exceptions for several cathinones and structural analogs scheduled under UN and EU legislation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedikt Pulver
- State Bureau of Criminal Investigation Schleswig-Holstein, Forensic Science Institute, Kiel, Germany
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Forensic Toxicology, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Svenja Fischmann
- State Bureau of Criminal Investigation Schleswig-Holstein, Forensic Science Institute, Kiel, Germany
| | - Ana Gallegos
- European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Rachel Christie
- European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Lisbon, Portugal
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4
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Che P, Davidson JT, Kool J, Kohler I. Electron activated dissociation - a complementary fragmentation technique to collision-induced dissociation for metabolite identification of synthetic cathinone positional isomers. Anal Chim Acta 2023; 1283:341962. [PMID: 37977786 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Over the last decade, a remarkable number of new psychoactive substances (NPS) have emerged onto the drug market, resulting in serious threats to both public health and society. Despite their abundance and potential toxicity, there is little information available on their metabolism, a crucial piece of information for clinical and forensic purposes. NPS metabolism can be studied using in vitro models, such as liver microsomes, cytosol, hepatocytes, etc. The tentative structural elucidation of metabolites of NPS formed using in vitro models is typically carried out using liquid chromatography combined with high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS2) with collision-induced dissociation (CID) as a fragmentation method. However, the thermally-excited ions produced with CID may not be sufficient for unambiguous identification of metabolites or their complete characterization. Electron-activated dissociation (EAD), a relatively new fragmentation approach that can be used to fragment singly-charged ions, may provide complementary structural information that can be used to further improve the confidence in metabolite identification. The aim of this study was to compare CID and EAD as fragmentation methods for the characterization and identification of synthetic cathinone positional isomers and their metabolites. The in vitro metabolism of 2-methylethcathinone (2-MEC), 3-methylethcathinone (3-MEC) and 4-methylethcathinone (4-MEC) was investigated with both CID and EAD methods using LC-HRMS2. Four, seven and six metabolites were tentatively identified for the metabolism of 2-MEC, 3-MEC and 4-MEC, respectively. Here, the metabolism of 3-MEC and 2-MEC is reported for the first time. The EAD product ion mass spectra showed different fragmentation patterns compared to CID, where unique and abundant product ions were observed in EAD but not in CID. More importantly, certain EAD exclusive product ions play a significant role in structural elucidation of some metabolites. These results highlight the important role that EAD fragmentation can play in metabolite identification workflows, by providing additional fragmentation data compared with CID and, thus, enhancing the confidence in structural elucidation of drug metabolites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Che
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), Division of BioAnalytical Chemistry, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Center for Analytical Sciences Amsterdam (CASA), Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - J Tyler Davidson
- Sam Houston State University, Department of Forensic Science, Huntsville, TX, USA
| | - Jeroen Kool
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), Division of BioAnalytical Chemistry, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Center for Analytical Sciences Amsterdam (CASA), Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Isabelle Kohler
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), Division of BioAnalytical Chemistry, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Center for Analytical Sciences Amsterdam (CASA), Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Co van Ledden Hulsebosch Center (CLHC), Amsterdam Center for Forensic Science and Medicine, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
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5
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Coombs T, Abdelkader A, Tang L, Al-Jumeily D, Assi S. Rapid detection of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists impregnated into paper by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. J Forensic Sci 2023; 68:1906-1912. [PMID: 37593942 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.15346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
The last few years have witnessed the change in the modalities of smuggling of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs) by impregnating them in mail envelopes and fast parcels. Considering the aforementioned scenario, it is important to develop a portable technique to identifying SCRAs through packages. The purpose of this research was to detect SCRAs impregnated into substrates of paper using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. Three SCRAs that included 5F-PB-22, AB-FUBINACA and AKB-48 were purchased from Sigma Aldrich. The three SCRAs and four cutting agents were impregnated into paper of variable thickness at four concentrations (10, 15, 20, and 25 mg/mL). Spectra were collected over the wavenumber range of 650-4000 cm-1 using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and were exported to Matlab 2020b where data analysis was applied. The FTIR spectral data was able to show the three SCRAs could be detected on paper using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and quantitatively modeled using the partial least squares regression algorithm. Principal component analysis showed separate clustering for the compounds that crystallized (5F-PB-22, AB-FUBINACA and caffeine) onto the papers surface from those impregnated into the bulk of the paper (AKB-48 and procaine) with the latter situated near blank papers in score plots. In summary, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy has proven to be a successful non-destructive technique in detecting and quantifying a selection of SCRAs impregnated into paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Coombs
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Poole, UK
| | - Amor Abdelkader
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, Poole, UK
| | - Leung Tang
- Field Detection Group, Agilent Technologies, Glasgow, UK
| | - Dhiya Al-Jumeily
- School of Computer Science and Mathematics, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Sulaf Assi
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
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6
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Jiang X, Wu F, Huang X, He S, Han Q, Zhang Z, Liu W. Fabrication of a Molecularly-Imprinted-Polymer-Based Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite for Electrochemical Sensing of New Psychoactive Substances. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 13:751. [PMID: 36839120 PMCID: PMC9958802 DOI: 10.3390/nano13040751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
As new psychoactive substances (commonly known as "the third generation drugs") have characteristics such as short-term emergence, rapid updating, and great social harmfulness, there is a large gap in the development of their detection methods. Herein, graphite oxide (GO) was first prepared and immobilized with a reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) agent, then a new psychoactive substance (4-MEC) was chosen as a template, and then the surface RAFT polymerization of methacrylamide (MAAM) was carried out by using azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as an initiator and divinylbenzene (DVB) as a cross-linker. After the removal of the embedded template, graphene oxide modified by molecularly imprinted polymers (GO-MIPs) was finally obtained. Owing to the specific imprinted cavities for 4-MEC, the satisfactory selectivity and stability of the GO-MIP nanocomposite have been demonstrated. The GO-MIP nanocomposite was then used to fabricate the electrochemical sensor, which displayed a high selectivity in detecting 4-MEC over a linear concentration range between 5 and 60 μg mL-1 with a detection limit of 0.438 μg mL-1. As a result, the GO-MIPs sensor developed an accurate, efficient, convenient, and sensitive method for public security departments to detect illicit drugs and new psychoactive substances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Jiang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology, Zhongshan North No. 1 Road, Shanghai 200083, China
| | - Fangsheng Wu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology, Zhongshan North No. 1 Road, Shanghai 200083, China
| | - Xiaoyu Huang
- Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Self-Assembly Chemistry for Organic Functional Molecules, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 345 Lingling Road, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Shan He
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology, Zhongshan North No. 1 Road, Shanghai 200083, China
| | - Qiaoying Han
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology, Zhongshan North No. 1 Road, Shanghai 200083, China
| | - Zihua Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology, Zhongshan North No. 1 Road, Shanghai 200083, China
| | - Wenbin Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology, Zhongshan North No. 1 Road, Shanghai 200083, China
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7
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Araneda JF, Baumgarte M, Lange M, Maier AFG, Riegel SD. Identification of seven psychedelic 2,5-dimethoxy-phenylethyl-amine-based designer drugs via benchtop 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN CHEMISTRY : MRC 2023; 61:66-72. [PMID: 34404110 DOI: 10.1002/mrc.5205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The dissemination of spectral information of new psychoactive substances (NPS) acquired on benchtop nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers is of high importance considering the emerging application of such portable and accessible instruments in forensic analyses. Seven members of the 2C-X series (2C-B, 2C-C, 2C-D, 2C-E, 2C-P, 2C-T2, and 2C-T7) of NPS were analyzed via 60 MHz 1 H benchtop NMR spectroscopy and their molecular structural relations are discussed with respect to the observed proton NMR spectra.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan F Araneda
- Application Chemistry, Nanalysis Corp., Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Marion Baumgarte
- Forensic Science Institute, State Criminal Police Office of Lower Saxony, Hanover, Germany
| | - Marie Lange
- Forensic Science Institute, State Criminal Police Office of Lower Saxony, Hanover, Germany
| | | | - Susanne D Riegel
- Application Chemistry, Nanalysis Corp., Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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8
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Ultrasensitive and rapid detection of methamphetamine in forensic biological fluids using fluorescent apta-nanobiosensors based on CdTe quantum dots. Microchem J 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2023.108519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/13/2023]
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9
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Liu C, Li W, Zhang W, Zhao H, He G, Li C, Wang C, Li G. AIE-doped Poly(Ionic Liquid) Photonic Spheres for the Discrimination of Psychoactive Substances. Chemistry 2022; 29:e202203616. [PMID: 36576302 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202203616] [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: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Drugs of abuse has drawn intense attention due to increasing concerns to public health and safety. The construction of a sensing platform with the capability to identify them remains a big challenge because of the limitations of synthetic complexity, sensing scope and receptor extendibility. Here a kind of poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) photonic crystal spheres doped with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) luminogens was developed. As diverse noncovalent interactions involve in PIL moieties, the single sphere shows different binding affinity to a broad range of psychoactive substances. Furthermore, the dual-channel signals arising from photonic crystal structures and sensitive AIE-luminogens provide high-dimensional information for discriminative detection of targets, even for molecules with slight structural differences. More importantly, such single sphere sensing platform could be flexibly customized through ion-exchange, showing great extendibility to fabricate high-efficiency/high-throughput sensing arrays without tedious synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengcheng Liu
- Department of Chemistry Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China.,Xingzhi Academy, The Affiliated High School of Peking University, Beijing, 100086, P. R. China
| | - Wenyun Li
- Department of Chemistry Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
| | - Wanlin Zhang
- Department of Chemistry Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
| | - Hongwei Zhao
- Department of Chemistry Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
| | - Guokang He
- Department of Chemistry Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
| | - Chi Li
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, P. R. China
| | - Chen Wang
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200241, P. R. China
| | - Guangtao Li
- Department of Chemistry Key Lab of Organic Optoelectronics & Molecular Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China
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10
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Hernández-Contreras J, Parra M, Gil S, Costero AM, Arroyo P, Sancenón F, Martínez-Máñez R, Sáez JA, Gaviña P. Colorimetric and fluorescent detection of synthetic cathinones in oral fluid with meso-aryl BODIPYs and Cu(ii). RSC Adv 2022; 12:28580-28585. [PMID: 36330338 PMCID: PMC9583296 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra05188e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Synthetic cathinones are a class of new psychoactive substances whose consumption has increased a lot and is widespread throughout the world. Thus, there is currently a need for rapid and simple detection of these drugs. In particular, detection of synthetic cathinones in oral fluid in drivers can be of great importance in preventing traffic accidents. Herein, we report two probes, based on BODIPY derivatives combined with Cu(ii), which are able to detect these drugs both in water and in oral fluid, by changes in color and fluorescence. The determined limits of detection for ephedrone (as a model drug) are lower than the usual concentrations in saliva after intake of this type of drug. The sensing mechanism seems to be related to the cathinone induced reduction of Cu(ii) to Cu(i) with concomitants changes in the BODIPY structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Hernández-Contreras
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Universitat de València Doctor Moliner 50, Burjassot Valencia 46100 Spain
| | - Margarita Parra
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Universitat de València Doctor Moliner 50, Burjassot Valencia 46100 Spain .,Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universitat de València Doctor Moliner 50, Burjassot Valencia 46100 Spain.,CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biometariales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN) Spain
| | - Salvador Gil
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Universitat de València Doctor Moliner 50, Burjassot Valencia 46100 Spain .,Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universitat de València Doctor Moliner 50, Burjassot Valencia 46100 Spain.,CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biometariales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN) Spain
| | - Ana M Costero
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Universitat de València Doctor Moliner 50, Burjassot Valencia 46100 Spain .,Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universitat de València Doctor Moliner 50, Burjassot Valencia 46100 Spain.,CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biometariales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN) Spain
| | - Pau Arroyo
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Universitat de València Doctor Moliner 50, Burjassot Valencia 46100 Spain .,Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universitat de València Doctor Moliner 50, Burjassot Valencia 46100 Spain
| | - Félix Sancenón
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Universitat de València Doctor Moliner 50, Burjassot Valencia 46100 Spain .,CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biometariales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN) Spain.,Departamento de Química, Universitat Politècnica de València Camino de Vera s/n Valencia 46022 Spain
| | - Ramón Martínez-Máñez
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Universitat de València Doctor Moliner 50, Burjassot Valencia 46100 Spain .,CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biometariales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN) Spain.,Departamento de Química, Universitat Politècnica de València Camino de Vera s/n Valencia 46022 Spain
| | - José A Sáez
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Universitat de València Doctor Moliner 50, Burjassot Valencia 46100 Spain .,Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universitat de València Doctor Moliner 50, Burjassot Valencia 46100 Spain
| | - Pablo Gaviña
- Instituto Interuniversitario de Investigación de Reconocimiento Molecular y Desarrollo Tecnológico (IDM), Universitat Politècnica de València, Universitat de València Doctor Moliner 50, Burjassot Valencia 46100 Spain .,Departamento de Química Orgánica, Universitat de València Doctor Moliner 50, Burjassot Valencia 46100 Spain.,CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biometariales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN) Spain
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11
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Minors and young adult's hospitalizations after “chimique” consumption in Mayotte Island: Which substances are involved? Therapie 2022; 78:235-240. [DOI: 10.1016/j.therap.2022.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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12
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Deville M, Bailly R, Gauthier N, Pitti P, Wachtelaer A, Charlier C. Biochip Array Technology for new psychoactive substances detection in biological samples: evaluation of the specificity of the Randox Evidence Investigator ®. Ann Clin Biochem 2022; 59:357-362. [PMID: 35726604 DOI: 10.1177/00045632221111751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background The need to detect new psychoactive substances in biological samples is of crucial interest. In this paper, the specificity of a benchtop immunoanalyzer commercialized by Randox was evaluated on real patient samples. Method The Evidence Investigator was assessed to screen for NPS on 80 serum and urine samples coming from patient admitted to the emergency department. Targeted NPS were included in various categories such as synthetic cannabinoids, opioids and benzodiazepines. Results were compared with a chromatographic technique coupled with mass spectrometry. Results No NPS was detected by the reference technique. Concerning immunoanalysis, some piperazines were positive, caused by the presence of medicine containing this chemical structure. Clonazepam and fentanyl derivatives were confirmed in some cases, but sometimes the positivity was explained by other opiates or benzodiazepines, which also explained 2 samples falsely positive for etizolam. Conclusions The Randox Evidence Investigator was rapid and easy to use. It can be used as a first intention but always followed by a more specific technique in order to detect false positive result.
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13
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Jeromel L, Ogrinc N, Siketić Z, Vavpetič P, Rupnik Z, Bučar K, Jenčič B, Kelemen M, Vencelj M, Vogel-Mikuš K, Kovač J, Heeren RMA, Flinders B, Cuypers E, Barba Ž, Pelicon P. Molecular imaging of humain hair with MeV-SIMS: A case study of cocaine detection and distribution in the hair of a cocaine user. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0263338. [PMID: 35333862 PMCID: PMC8956162 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Human hair absorbs numerous biomolecules from the body during its growth. This can act as a fingerprint to determine substance intake of an individual, which can be useful in forensic studies. The cocaine concentration profile along the growth axis of hair indicates the time evolution of the metabolic incorporation of cocaine usage. It could be either assessed by chemical extraction and further analysis of hair bundels, or by direct single hair fibre analysis with mass spectroscopy imaging (MSI). Within this work, we analyzed the cocaine distribution in individual hair samples using MeV-SIMS. Unlike conventional surface analysis methods, we demonstrate high yields of nonfragmented molecular ions from the surface of biological materials, resulting in high chemical sensitivity and non-destructive characterisation. Hair samples were prepared by longitudinally cutting along the axis of growth, leaving half-cylindrical shape to access the interior structure of the hair by the probing ion beam, and attached to the silicon wafer. A focused 5.8 MeV 35Cl6+ beam was scanned across the intact, chemically pristine hair structure. A non-fragmented protonated [M+ H]+ cocaine molecular peak at m/z = 304 was detected and localized along the cross-section of the hair. Its intensity exhibits strong fluctuations along the direction of the hair’s growth, with pronounced peaks as narrow as 50 micrometres, corresponding to a metabolic incorporation time of approx. three hours.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nina Ogrinc
- The Maastricht MultiModal Molecular Imaging Institute, Maastricht University, ER Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Katarina Vogel-Mikuš
- Jožef Stefan Institute, SI-Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Janez Kovač
- Jožef Stefan Institute, SI-Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ron M. A. Heeren
- The Maastricht MultiModal Molecular Imaging Institute, Maastricht University, ER Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Bryn Flinders
- The Maastricht MultiModal Molecular Imaging Institute, Maastricht University, ER Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Eva Cuypers
- The Maastricht MultiModal Molecular Imaging Institute, Maastricht University, ER Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- KU Leuven Toxicology & Pharmacology, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Žiga Barba
- Jožef Stefan Institute, SI-Ljubljana, Slovenia
- * E-mail:
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14
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Novais ADS, Arantes LC, Almeida ES, Rocha RG, Lima CD, Melo LMDA, Richter EM, Munoz RAA, Pio dos Santos WT, da Silva RAB. Fast on-site screening of 3,4-methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA) in forensic samples using carbon screen-printed electrode and square wave voltammetry. Electrochim Acta 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2021.139599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
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15
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The use patterns of novel psychedelics: experiential fingerprints of substituted phenethylamines, tryptamines and lysergamides. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:1783-1796. [PMID: 35487983 PMCID: PMC9166850 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06142-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Novel psychedelics (NPs) are an expanding set of compounds, presenting new challenges for drug policy and opportunities for clinical research. Unlike their classical derivatives, little is known regarding their use profiles or their subjective effects. AIMS The purpose of this study was to compile usage patterns and adverse event rates for individual NPs belonging to each of three main psychedelic structural families. Targeting the most widely used representatives for each class, we expanded on their phenomenological distinctions. METHODS A two-part survey was employed. We investigated the prevalence of novel phenethylamines, tryptamine and lysergamides in NP users (N = 1180), contrasting the type and incidence of adverse events (AEs) using a set of logistic regressions. Honing in on 2-4-Bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethanamine (2C-B) (48.6%), 1-propionyl-lysergic acid diethylamide (1P-LSD) (34.2%) and 4-Acetoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (4-AcO-DMT) (23.1%), we examined their phenomenological separability using a gradient boosting (XGBoost) supervised classifier. RESULTS Novel phenethylamines had the highest prevalence of use (61.5%) seconded by tryptamines (43.8%) and lysergamides (42.9%). Usage patterns were identified for 32 different compounds, demonstrating variable dosages, durations and a common oral route of administration. Compared to phenethylamines, the odds for tryptamines and lysergamides users were significantly less for overall physical AEs. No significant differences in overall psychological AEs were found. Overall model area under the curve (AUC) stood at 0.79 with sensitivity (50.0%) and specificity (60.0%) for 2C-B ranking lowest. CONCLUSION NP classes may hold distinct AE rates and phenomenology, the latter potentially clouded by the subjective nature of these experiences. Further targeted research is warranted.
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16
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Belenguer-Sapiña C, Sáez-Hernández R, Pellicer-Castell E, Armenta S, Mauri-Aucejo A. Simultaneous determination of third-generation synthetic cannabinoids in oral fluids using cyclodextrin-silica porous sorbents. Microchem J 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.microc.2021.106915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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17
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Niebel A, Pragst F, Krumbiegel F, Hartwig S. Prevalence of cathinones and other new psychoactive substances in hair of parents and children of families with known or suspected parental abuse of conventional illegal drugs. Forensic Sci Int 2021; 331:111148. [PMID: 34923263 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.111148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hair analysis of parents and their children was regularly used since 2011 as a diagnostic tool in a social support project for families with known or suspected abuse of conventional illegal drugs and revealed a high incidence of cocaine, cannabinoids, amphetamines, ecstasy and heroin. In this context, the prevalence of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in these families should be important for a realistic estimate of the situation. METHODS The extracts of 1537 hair samples from 318 children (age 1-14 years), 44 adolescents and 611 adults, which were collected and tested for conventional drugs between June 2016 and April 2021 and frozen at -20 °C, were reanalyzed by a validated LC-MS/MS method (limits of quantitation 5-24 pg/mg) for 33 cathinones, 10 phenylethylamines, 5 piperazines including the antidepressant trazodone, 2 tryptamines, 9 designer benzodiazepines, 4 synthetic opioids and 4 ketamine-like substances including phencyclidine. RESULTS Between one and up to five from 42 of these substances were detected in 227 samples (14.8%). The most frequently detected substances were benzedrone (62x), α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (41x), N-ethylamphetamine (29x), dimethyltryptamine (13x) and pyrovalerone (11x). The quantification was possible only for 34 results of 15 drugs and the remaining majority of the results were unambiguously identified below LLOQ. The relative frequency of conventional drugs in the 227 NPS positive samples was higher than in all 1310 NPS negative samples for cocaine (69.6% vs. 56.0%), heroin (6-acetylmorphine 8.8% vs. 4.9%), amphetamine (16.3% vs. 7.7%) and MDMA (16.3% vs. 7.0%) but was similar for THC (38.3% vs. 36.3%) and benzodiazepines (1.8% vs. 1.7%). The high prevalence of N-ethylamphetamine can be explained as a byproduct of the illicit amphetamine synthesis from benzaldehyde and nitroethane rather than as a separate drug or as a combined metabolite of amphetamine and ethanol. The isolated appearance of 3-trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine in 9 hair samples collected in January 2017 can be caused either by its use as an NPS or by its formation as a metabolite of the medical drug flibanserin. The results were compared within 17 families whose members were tested at the same time and showed positive NPS results. The detected drugs agreed between both parents only in about half of the cases whereas the drugs found in children's hair was always detected also in hair of one or both parents. CONCLUSION The re-testing of hair extracts for NPS after long-time storage in frozen state enables an impression about the relative high prevalence in the tested population group, despite the limitation by partial degradation of the substances and the corresponding impossibility in quantitative assessments. In addition to conventional drugs, the hair test for these substances should be useful in unclear cases of child's welfare endangerment and in family law.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Niebel
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Turmstraße 21 (Haus N), 10559 Berlin, Germany; Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Königin-Luise-Straße 2+4, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Fritz Pragst
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Turmstraße 21 (Haus N), 10559 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Franziska Krumbiegel
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Turmstraße 21 (Haus N), 10559 Berlin, Germany
| | - Sven Hartwig
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Forensic Medicine, Turmstraße 21 (Haus N), 10559 Berlin, Germany
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18
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McNeill L, Megson D, Linton PE, Norrey J, Bradley L, Sutcliffe OB, Shaw KJ. Lab-on-a-Chip approaches for the detection of controlled drugs, including new psychoactive substances: A systematic review. Forensic Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forc.2021.100370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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19
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Goncalves R, Labadie M, Chouraqui S, Peyré A, Castaing N, Daveluy A, Molimard M. Involuntary MDMB-4en-PINACA intoxications following cannabis consumption: clinical and analytical findings. Clin Toxicol (Phila) 2021; 60:458-463. [PMID: 34850659 DOI: 10.1080/15563650.2021.1994144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS MDMB-4en-PINACA is a synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist (SCRA) that has recently emerged. Data regarding clinical presentations in the event of intoxication is scarce. This study presents MDMB-4en-PINACA identification in cannabis consumers with clinical and analytical descriptions. METHODS Between November 2020 and March 2021, all patients with unexpected or unusually severe effects and Poisoning Severity Score (PSS) greater than or equal to 2 after cannabis consumption were included. Blood and/or urine samples were collected for toxicological analysis. When available, drug material samples were also collected for analysis. RESULTS Between November 2020 and March 2021, 13 patients were included. All cases typically presented with altered mental status (n = 13), and nearly all had returned to a normal or quasi-normal state after around 11 h of observation. Neurological symptoms included headaches (n = 3), hallucinations (3), mydriasis (3), amnesia (2) and seizures (5). Psychiatric symptoms were paranoia (6) and anxiety (2). Digestive symptoms were nausea (2) and vomiting (6). No deaths were recorded. All patients were positive for the SCRA MDMB-4en-PINACA in urine, blood and/or drug material sample. Results from toxicology testing paired with case history showed the potential for MDMB-4en-PINACA to cause or contribute to different clinical disorders. Conclusions: This study highlights the risk of intoxication by SCRAs when taking low-THC cannabis products. Forensic scientists, public health and public safety officials, law enforcement personnel and clinicians should be aware of the impact that these emergent SCRAs may have in their work, especially MDMB-4en-PINACA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben Goncalves
- CHU de Bordeaux, Laboratoire de Pharmacologie et Toxicologie, Bordeaux Cedex, France.,Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM U1219, BPH, Bordeaux Cedex, France
| | - Magali Labadie
- CHU de Bordeaux, Centre-Antipoison et Toxicovigilance de Nouvelle Aquitaine, Bordeaux Cedex, France
| | - Simon Chouraqui
- CHU de Bordeaux, Urgences adultes, Place Amélie Raba Léon, Bordeaux Cedex, France
| | - Alexandre Peyré
- CHU de Bordeaux, Centre d'addictovigilance, Place Amélie Raba Léon, Bordeaux Cedex, France
| | - Nadège Castaing
- CHU de Bordeaux, Laboratoire de Pharmacologie et Toxicologie, Bordeaux Cedex, France
| | - Amélie Daveluy
- Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM U1219, BPH, Bordeaux Cedex, France.,CHU de Bordeaux, Centre d'addictovigilance, Place Amélie Raba Léon, Bordeaux Cedex, France
| | - Mathieu Molimard
- CHU de Bordeaux, Laboratoire de Pharmacologie et Toxicologie, Bordeaux Cedex, France.,Univ. Bordeaux, INSERM U1219, BPH, Bordeaux Cedex, France
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20
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Chen H, Wu F, Xu Y, Liu Y, Song L, Chen X, He Q, Liu W, Han Q, Zhang Z, Zou Y, Liu W. Synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of selective molecularly imprinted polymers for the fast determination of synthetic cathinones. RSC Adv 2021; 11:29752-29761. [PMID: 35492065 PMCID: PMC9044941 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra01330k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
As a kind of new psychoactive substance (NPS), synthetic cathinones have drawn great worldwide attention. In this study, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), as adsorbents for the extraction and determination of 4-methyldimethcathinone (4-MDMC), were first synthesized by coprecipitation polymerization. The physicochemical analyses of MIPs were successfully performed by XRD, FTIR, FESEM and TGA techniques. Furthermore, rebinding properties of temperature and pH dependence, and selectivity and reusability tests for MIPs and non-imprinted polymers (NIPs) were performed using an ultraviolet-visible spectrometer (UV-vis). The obtained results indicate that the imprinting efficiency has strong dependence on temperature and pH, and the optimal adsorption for targets is achieved under the condition of 318 K and pH = 6.0. This means that the combination between the polymers and 4-MDMC is a strong spontaneous and endothermic process. Compared with NIPs, MIPs exhibit prominent adsorption capacity (Qe = 9.77 mg g−1, 318 K). The selectivity coefficients (k) of MIPs for 4-MDMC, methylenedioxypentedrone (βk-MBDP), 4-ethylmethcathinone (4-EMC), methoxetamine (MXE) and tetrahydrofuranylfentanyl (THF-F) were found to be 1.70, 3.49, 7.14 and 5.82, respectively. Moreover, it was found that the adsorption equilibrium was achieved within 30 min. The aim of this work is the simple synthesis of MIPs and the optimal performance of the molecular recognition of 4-MDMC. Moreover, the synthesized MIPs can be easily regenerated and repeatedly used with negligible loss of efficiency (only 9.94% loss after six times adsorption–desorption tests). Satisfying recoveries in the range of 69.3–78.9% indicate that MIPs have good applicability for analyte removal from urine samples. Ultimately, this material shows great promise for the rapid extraction and separation of synthetic cathinones, which are dissolved in the liquid for the field of criminal sciences. Molecularly imprinted polymers, as an adsorbent for extraction and selective recognition of 4-methyldimethcathinone, were firstly synthesized through coprecipitation polymerization.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology 803 Zhongshan North 1st Road Shanghai 200083 P. R. China +86-21-22028361 +86-21-22028361.,Shanghai Yuansi Standard Science and Technology Co., Ltd. 196 Ouyang Road Shanghai 200080 P. R. China
| | - Fangsheng Wu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology 803 Zhongshan North 1st Road Shanghai 200083 P. R. China +86-21-22028361 +86-21-22028361.,Shanghai Yuansi Standard Science and Technology Co., Ltd. 196 Ouyang Road Shanghai 200080 P. R. China
| | - Yibing Xu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology 803 Zhongshan North 1st Road Shanghai 200083 P. R. China +86-21-22028361 +86-21-22028361.,Shanghai Yuansi Standard Science and Technology Co., Ltd. 196 Ouyang Road Shanghai 200080 P. R. China
| | - Yuan Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology 803 Zhongshan North 1st Road Shanghai 200083 P. R. China +86-21-22028361 +86-21-22028361.,Shanghai Yuansi Standard Science and Technology Co., Ltd. 196 Ouyang Road Shanghai 200080 P. R. China
| | - Lun Song
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology 803 Zhongshan North 1st Road Shanghai 200083 P. R. China +86-21-22028361 +86-21-22028361.,Shanghai Yuansi Standard Science and Technology Co., Ltd. 196 Ouyang Road Shanghai 200080 P. R. China
| | - Xiujuan Chen
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology 803 Zhongshan North 1st Road Shanghai 200083 P. R. China +86-21-22028361 +86-21-22028361.,Shanghai Yuansi Standard Science and Technology Co., Ltd. 196 Ouyang Road Shanghai 200080 P. R. China
| | - Qun He
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology 803 Zhongshan North 1st Road Shanghai 200083 P. R. China +86-21-22028361 +86-21-22028361.,Shanghai Yuansi Standard Science and Technology Co., Ltd. 196 Ouyang Road Shanghai 200080 P. R. China
| | - Wei Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology 803 Zhongshan North 1st Road Shanghai 200083 P. R. China +86-21-22028361 +86-21-22028361.,Shanghai Yuansi Standard Science and Technology Co., Ltd. 196 Ouyang Road Shanghai 200080 P. R. China
| | - Qiaoying Han
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology 803 Zhongshan North 1st Road Shanghai 200083 P. R. China +86-21-22028361 +86-21-22028361.,Shanghai Yuansi Standard Science and Technology Co., Ltd. 196 Ouyang Road Shanghai 200080 P. R. China
| | - Zihua Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology 803 Zhongshan North 1st Road Shanghai 200083 P. R. China +86-21-22028361 +86-21-22028361.,Shanghai Yuansi Standard Science and Technology Co., Ltd. 196 Ouyang Road Shanghai 200080 P. R. China
| | - Yun Zou
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology 803 Zhongshan North 1st Road Shanghai 200083 P. R. China +86-21-22028361 +86-21-22028361.,Shanghai Yuansi Standard Science and Technology Co., Ltd. 196 Ouyang Road Shanghai 200080 P. R. China
| | - Wenbin Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Crime Scene Evidence, Shanghai Research Institute of Criminal Science and Technology 803 Zhongshan North 1st Road Shanghai 200083 P. R. China +86-21-22028361 +86-21-22028361.,Shanghai Yuansi Standard Science and Technology Co., Ltd. 196 Ouyang Road Shanghai 200080 P. R. China
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Niebel A, Westendorf L, Krumbiegel F, Hartwig S, Parr MK, Tsokos M. Prevalence and concentrations of new designer stimulants, synthetic opioids, benzodiazepines, and hallucinogens in postmortem hair samples: A 13-year retrospective study. Drug Test Anal 2021; 14:110-121. [PMID: 34435749 DOI: 10.1002/dta.3150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Hair samples are frequently analyzed in order to characterize consumption patterns of drugs. However, the interpretation of new psychoactive substance (NPS) findings in hair remains difficult because of lacking data for comparison. In this study, selected postmortem hair samples (n = 1203) from 2008 to 2020 were reanalyzed for synthetic cathinones, piperazines, phenethylamines, hallucinogens, benzodiazepines and opioids to evaluate prevalence data and concentration ranges. Hair samples were extracted using a two-step extraction procedure and analyzed using a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method. Overall NPSs were detected in 381 cases (31.6%). Many cases were tested positive for more than one NPS in the same time span. A variety of NPS with a large range of concentrations was observed. For better comparability and interpretation of positive cases in routine work, quantitation data for 13 NPS were calculated as percentiles. The most frequently detected NPS in this study were N-ethylamphetamine, α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone, mephedrone, benzedrone, metamfepramone, and 4-fluoroamphetamine. In conclusion, a high prevalence of these drugs was observed from postmortem hair samples. The results show a growing use of many different NPSs by mainly young drug-using adults. Consequently, NPS screening procedures should be included in forensic toxicology. Our quantitative data may support other toxicologists in their assessment of NPS hair concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Niebel
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lena Westendorf
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Franziska Krumbiegel
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sven Hartwig
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Maria Kristina Parr
- Institute of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Tsokos
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Trinklein TJ, Thapa M, Lanphere LA, Frost JA, Koresch SM, Aldstadt JH. Sequential injection analysis coupled to on-line benchtop proton NMR: Method development and application to the determination of synthetic cathinones in seized drug samples. Talanta 2021; 231:122355. [PMID: 33965022 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2021.122355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2021] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic cathinones are a class of new psychoactive substances (NPS), an emerging group of analogues to traditional illicit drugs which are functionalized to circumvent legal regulations. The analytical investigation of NPS by traditional methods, such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), is challenging because newly emerging NPS may not yet appear in spectral libraries and because of the inability to determine certain positional isomers. Low-field or "benchtop" proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) is an alternative that provides significant qualitative information but is particularly susceptible to matrix interferences. To this end, the development of a Sequential Injection Analysis (SIA) method which uses solid-phase extraction (SPE) to remove interfering matrix components prior to NMR determination is described. Factors including the type of SPE sorbent, column dimensions, and sample loading and elution conditions were examined. Several cathinone simulants (primary, secondary, and tertiary amines), "DEA exempt" cathinone standards, as well as authentic case samples were studied. The selectivity of the SIA-NMR-UV method was investigated against a broad range of "cutting agents" and was found to successfully remove all compounds tested with the exception of other basic drugs (e.g., acetaminophen). The limit of detection and reproducibility of the method were optimized using a Plackett-Burman screening design and Sequential Simplex optimization. Using a UV detector for dual (in series) quantification, the multivariate-optimized method produced a method limit of detection (3σ) for the cathinone simulant Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) of 23 μmol L-1, and a calibration model, in terms of UV peak area, of Area = 0.19 [PPA, mmol L-1] - 0.04. The optimized method generated ~2 mL of waste per day, and had a footprint of ~1 m2 Finally, the multivariate-optimized SIA-NMR-UV method was successfully applied to several more case samples and the cathinones were definitively identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J Trinklein
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Malati Thapa
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Lexie A Lanphere
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - John A Frost
- Molecular Spectroscopy Group, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Madison, WI, USA
| | | | - Joseph H Aldstadt
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
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23
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Ferreira AB, Lobo Castro A, Tarelho S, Domingues P, Franco JM. GC-MS – Still standing for clinical and forensic analysis: validation of a multidrug method to detect and quantify illicit drugs. AUST J FORENSIC SCI 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/00450618.2021.1964598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Beatriz Ferreira
- National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, Oporto, Portugal
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - André Lobo Castro
- National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, Oporto, Portugal
- ICBAS - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sónia Tarelho
- National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, Oporto, Portugal
| | - Pedro Domingues
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - João Miguel Franco
- National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, Oporto, Portugal
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24
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Yen YT, Liu MC, Liu CY, Hung CH, Chen PL, Chyueh SC. Unexpected identification of a bupivacaine analog from smuggling by using single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis: N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1-phenethylpiperidine-2-carboxamide. Forensic Sci Int 2021; 326:110917. [PMID: 34314986 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.110917] [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: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The identification of new psychoactive substances (NPSs) is essential against drug abuse, especially for "new" drugs that are not regulated by international drug conventions. A suspicious powder seized by the officers of Taipei Customs Administration of Taiwan was sent to this laboratory for analysis by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS), liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LCHRMS), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR) with distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer (DEPT) at proton pulses of 45°, 90°, and 135°, two-dimensional correlation NMR measurements (2D_COSY), and heteronuclear single-quantum correlation NMR measurements (2D_HSQC). However, the structure of this "unknown" sample was difficult to identify. Alternatively, single-crystal X-ray crystallography was applied for structural determination after the crystallization of the compound in methanol. The structure was thus identified as N-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-1-phenethylpiperidine-2-carboxamide (NDMPPPC), an analog of bupivacaine with similar pharmacological effects to those of cocaine, ketamine and morphine. The identification of NDMPPPC is in accordance with all mass fragments and NMR signal data, demonstrating that single-crystal X-ray diffraction can be used for structural determination, especially for complicated structures of "new" drugs or "unknown" samples. The seizure of NDMPPPC from smuggling indicates a great potential to become part of the next generation of NPSs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao-Te Yen
- Department of Forensic Science, Investigation Bureau, Ministry of Justice, Xindian Dist, New Taipei City 231209, Taiwan.
| | - Mei-Chun Liu
- Department of Forensic Science, Investigation Bureau, Ministry of Justice, Xindian Dist, New Taipei City 231209, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Yi Liu
- Department of Forensic Science, Investigation Bureau, Ministry of Justice, Xindian Dist, New Taipei City 231209, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Han Hung
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, Neihu District, Taipei City 11493, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Lin Chen
- Department of Chemistry, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan
| | - San-Chong Chyueh
- Department of Forensic Science, Investigation Bureau, Ministry of Justice, Xindian Dist, New Taipei City 231209, Taiwan
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25
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Liu H, Xia L, Shen C, Huang C, Chu Y. Dopant for detection of methamphetamine in the presence of nicotine with ion mobility spectrometry. Anal Bioanal Chem 2021; 413:4237-4246. [PMID: 33948704 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-021-03370-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Methamphetamine (MA) is a highly addictive and illegal psychostimulant drug and is currently one of the most commonly abused illicit drugs in the world. The on-site rapid detection of trace amounts of MA and screening illicit drugs in clandestine laboratories is important for drug enforcement agencies and the forensic community in general. However, detecting methamphetamine in the presence of nicotine and cigarette smoke by ion mobility spectrometry faces difficulty due to the overlapped spectral peaks of methamphetamine and nicotine. In this work, a new method was developed to detect MA using pyridine as a dopant in the presence of nicotine by a homemade ion mobility spectrometry. The reduced mobilities of MA and nicotine were measured under the temperatures of the drift tube from 40 to 120 °C and doping with pyridine. The result shows that the temperature of 100 °C is beneficial to resolve the two substances. The concentration of doped pyridine is optimized to be 18 ppm. In this doped experiment, the reaction rate of nicotine is higher than that of MA by measuring the instrumental responses of MA and nicotine. No matter how high the nicotine content is, the interference of nicotine can be eliminated in the detection of MA doped with pyridine. This method is also successfully applied for the determination of MA and nicotine simultaneously in real saliva samples. The limit of detection of MA was measured to be about 0.5 ng/μL. The promising results in this work provide an effective method for on-site detection of MA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Liu
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology, Institute of Health & Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, Anhui, China.,Institute of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, China
| | - Lei Xia
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology, Institute of Health & Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, Anhui, China.
| | - Chengyin Shen
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology, Institute of Health & Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, Anhui, China
| | - Chaoqun Huang
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology, Institute of Health & Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, Anhui, China.
| | - Yannan Chu
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Medical Physics and Technology, Institute of Health & Medical Technology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, 230031, Anhui, China
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26
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Tathe AG, Urvashi, Yadav AK, Chintawar CC, Patil NT. Gold-Catalyzed 1,2-Aminoarylation of Alkenes with External Amines. ACS Catal 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.1c00789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Akash G. Tathe
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhauri, Bhopal−462 066, India
| | - Urvashi
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhauri, Bhopal−462 066, India
| | - Amit K. Yadav
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhauri, Bhopal−462 066, India
| | - Chetan C. Chintawar
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhauri, Bhopal−462 066, India
| | - Nitin T. Patil
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhauri, Bhopal−462 066, India
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27
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Psychoactive Substances of Natural Origin: Toxicological Aspects, Therapeutic Properties and Analysis in Biological Samples. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26051397. [PMID: 33807728 PMCID: PMC7961374 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26051397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The consumption of new psychoactive substances (NPSs) has been increasing, and this problem affects several countries worldwide. There is a class of NPSs of natural origin, consisting of plants and fungi, which have a wide range of alkaloids, responsible for causing relaxing, stimulating or hallucinogenic effects. The consumption of some of these substances is prompted by religious beliefs and cultural reasons, making the legislation very variable or even ambiguous. However, the abusive consumption of these substances can present an enormous risk to the health of the individuals, since their metabolism and effects are not yet fully known. Additionally, NPSs are widely spread over the internet, and their appearance is very fast, which requires the development of sophisticated analytical methodologies, capable of detecting these compounds. Thus, the objective of this work is to review the toxicological aspects, traditional use/therapeutic potential and the analytical methods developed in biological matrices in twelve plant specimens (Areca catechu, Argyreia nervosa, Ayahuasca, Catha edulis, Datura stramonium, Lophophora williamsii, Mandragora officinarum, Mitragyna speciosa, Piper methysticum Forst, Psilocybe, Salvia divinorum and Tabernanthe iboga).
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28
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Schram J, Parrilla M, Sleegers N, Van Durme F, van den Berg J, van Nuijs ALN, De Wael K. Electrochemical profiling and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry characterization of synthetic cathinones: From methodology to detection in forensic samples. Drug Test Anal 2021; 13:1282-1294. [PMID: 33624933 DOI: 10.1002/dta.3018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of new psychoactive drugs in the market demands rapid and accurate tools for the on-site classification of illegal and legal compounds with similar structures. Herein, a novel method for the classification of synthetic cathinones (SCs) is presented based on their electrochemical profile. First, the electrochemical profile of five common SC (i.e., mephedrone, ethcathinone, methylone, butylone, and 4-chloro-alpha-pyrrolidinovalerophenone) is collected to build calibration curves using square wave voltammetry on graphite screen-printed electrodes (SPEs). Second, the elucidation of the oxidation pathways, obtained by liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry, allows the pairing of the oxidation products to the SC electrochemical profile, providing a selective and robust classification. Additionally, the effect of common adulterants and illicit drugs on the electrochemical profile of the SC is explored. Interestingly, a cathodic pretreatment of the SPE allows the selective detection of each SC in presence of electroactive adulterants. Finally, the electrochemical approach is validated with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry by analyzing 26 confiscated samples from seizures and illegal webshops. Overall, the electrochemical method exhibits a successful classification of SC including structural derivatives, a crucial attribute in an ever-diversifying drug market.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Schram
- AXES Research Group, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.,NANOlab Center of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marc Parrilla
- AXES Research Group, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.,NANOlab Center of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Nick Sleegers
- AXES Research Group, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.,NANOlab Center of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Filip Van Durme
- Drugs and Toxicology Department, National Institute for Criminalistics and Criminology (NICC), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jorrit van den Berg
- Team Illicit Drugs, The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI), The Hague, The Netherlands
| | | | - Karolien De Wael
- AXES Research Group, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.,NANOlab Center of Excellence, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
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29
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Origami chips: Development and validation of a paper-based Lab-on-a-Chip device for the rapid and cost-effective detection of 4-methylmethcathinone (mephedrone) and its metabolite, 4-methylephedrine in urine. Forensic Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forc.2020.100293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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30
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Shishkanova TV, Štěpánková N, Tlustý M, Tobrman T, Jurásek B, Kuchař M, Trchová M, Fitl P, Vrňata M. Electrochemically oxidized 15-crown-5 substituted thiophene and host-guest interaction with new psychoactive substances. Electrochim Acta 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2021.137862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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31
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González-Hernández J, Alvarado-Gámez AL, Arroyo-Mora LE, Barquero-Quirós M. Electrochemical determination of novel psychoactive substances by differential pulse voltammetry using a microcell for boron-doped diamond electrode and screen-printed electrodes based on carbon and platinum. J Electroanal Chem (Lausanne) 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jelechem.2021.114994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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32
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Schifano F, Napoletano F, Chiappini S, Guirguis A, Corkery JM, Bonaccorso S, Ricciardi A, Scherbaum N, Vento A. New/emerging psychoactive substances and associated psychopathological consequences. Psychol Med 2021; 51:30-42. [PMID: 31327332 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291719001727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The present paper provides an updated review of both the large number of new/novel/emerging psychoactive substances (NPS) and their associated psychopathological consequences. Focus was here given on identification of those NPS being commented in specialised online sources and the related short-/long-term psychopathological and medical ill-health effects. METHODS NPS have been identified through an innovative crawling/navigating software, called the 'NPS.Finder®', created in order to facilitate the process of early recognition of NPS online. A range of information regarding NPS, including chemical and street names; chemical formula; three-dimensional image and anecdotally reported clinical/psychoactive effects, were here made available. RESULTS Using the 'NPS.Finder®' approach, a few thousand NPS were here preliminarily identified, a number which is about 4-fold higher than those figures suggested by European and international drug agencies. NPS most commonly associated with the onset of psychopathological consequences included here synthetic cannabinoids/cannabimimetics; new synthetic opioids; ketamine-like dissociatives; novel stimulants; novel psychedelics and several prescription and over-the-counter medicines. CONCLUSIONS The ever-increasing changes in terms of recreational psychotropics' availability represent a relatively new challenge for psychiatry, as the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of many NPS have not been thoroughly understood. Health/mental health professionals should be informed about the range of NPS; their intake modalities; their psychoactive sought-after effects; the idiosyncratic psychotropics' combinations and finally, their medical and psychopathological risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Schifano
- Psychopharmacology, Drug Misuse, and Novel Psychoactive Substances Research Unit, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
| | | | - S Chiappini
- Psychopharmacology, Drug Misuse, and Novel Psychoactive Substances Research Unit, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
| | - A Guirguis
- Swansea University Medical School, Institute of Life Sciences 2, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, Wales
| | - J M Corkery
- Psychopharmacology, Drug Misuse, and Novel Psychoactive Substances Research Unit, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
| | - S Bonaccorso
- Camden and Islington NHS Mental Health Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - A Ricciardi
- Camden and Islington NHS Mental Health Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Department of Mental Health, ASL Roma 1, Rome, Italy
| | - N Scherbaum
- LVR-Klinikum Essen, Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - A Vento
- Addictions' Observatory (ODDPSS), Rome, Italy
- 'Guglielmo Marconi' University, Rome, Italy
- Department of Mental Health, ASL Roma 2, Rome, Italy
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33
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Rose AR, Staretz ME, Joshi M, Wood M, Brettell TA. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of eight aminoindanes: 2-Aminoindane, N-methyl-2-, 5-methoxy-, 5-methoxy-6-methyl-, 4,5-methylenedioxy-, 5,6-methylenedioxy- and 5-iodo-2-aminoindane, and rasagiline. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2021; 35:e9207. [PMID: 34599535 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.9207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Aminoindanes are one class of many new psychoactive substances that have emerged over the last decade. Analogues of 2-aminoindane (2-AI) are being encountered in crime laboratories and analytical data for most aminoindanes are limited. Interpretation and optimization of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry data will enhance reliability in characterizing aminoindanes. METHODS This study focuses on the electron ionization mass spectrometric fragmentation of eight aminoindane analogues and the gas chromatographic separation of these eight aminoindane analogues using four different column stationary phases, Rxi®-1Sil MS, Rxi®-5Sil MS, Rxi®-35Sil MS, and Rxi®-624Sil MS. Split injection (25:1) was utilized and each column had the same configuration (30 m × 25 mm × 0.25 μm), with the exception of the Rxi®-624Sil MS column (30 m × 25 mm ×1.4 μm). RESULTS Mass spectra showed strong molecular ions for all aminoindanes, except for rasagiline that produced a uniquely abundant [M - 1] ion. Other characteristic fragmentation that was present for all the aminoindanes included indane and indene ions (m/z 115-117), the tropylium ion (m/z 91), and subsequent loss of diene to produce smaller ions that followed: phenyl (m/z 77), cyclopentadienyl (m/z 65), cyclobutadienyl (m/z 51), and cyclopropenyl (m/z 39). CONCLUSIONS Separation of eight aminoindanes was optimized, and linear retention indices were determined for the compounds on four capillary columns. Based on the retention data, all eight aminoindanes were resolved on an Rxi®-624Sil MS column. Each aminoindane exhibited unique fragmentation ions in the mass spectra to distinguish between similar analogues. The results of this study will strengthen the analytical profiles of 2-AI and seven analogues, assisting forensic scientists in their analysis and identification of these substances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber R Rose
- Forensic Science Program, Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Cedar Crest College, Allentown, PA, USA
| | - Marianne E Staretz
- Forensic Science Program, Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Cedar Crest College, Allentown, PA, USA
| | - Monica Joshi
- Department of Chemistry, West Chester University, West Chester, PA, USA
| | - Matthew Wood
- Ocean County Sheriff's Department, Toms River, NJ, USA
| | - Thomas A Brettell
- Forensic Science Program, Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Cedar Crest College, Allentown, PA, USA
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34
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Shi Y, Zhou L, Li L, Liu M, Qiang H, Shen M, Shen B, Chen H, Drummer OH, Liu W, Wu H, Xiang P. Detection of a New Tert-Leucinate Synthetic Cannabinoid 5F-MDMB-PICA and Its Metabolites in Human Hair: Application to Authentic Cases. Front Chem 2020; 8:610312. [PMID: 33330406 PMCID: PMC7732586 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2020.610312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Methyl 2 -[ [ 1- (5- fluoropentyl) indole - 3- carbonyl] amino] -3, 3- dimethyl - butanoate (5F-MDMB-PICA) is a new synthetic cannabinoid characterized by valinate or tert-leucinate moieties. In recent years, 5F-MDMB-PICA has been abused in the form of “spice-like” herbal incenses or electronic cigarette oil. A UHPLC-MS/MS method was developed to detect 5F-MDMB-PICA and its metabolites in human hair. Approximately 20 mg of hair was weighed and pulverized with methanol below 4°C. After ultrasonication, centrifugation and filtration, 200 μL of supernatant was placed into an autosampler vial and analyzed on a Waters Acquity UPLC HSS T3 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.8 μm particle size) using an acetonitrile-20 mmol/L ammonium acetate (0.1% formic acid, 5% acetonitrile) gradient with a run time of 8 min. The limit of detection (LOD) ranged from 0.5 to 5 pg/mg, and the lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) ranged from 1 to 5 pg/mg. The method was shown to be linear over a concentration range of 1–200 pg/mg. The linear correlation (R2) of the calibration curves for all analytes was >0.999. The accuracy varied from 95.4 to 107.4%, while the intra- and inter-day precision RSD values were 0.7–10.6% and 1.7–12.2%, respectively. Recoveries were within the range of 61.1–93.3%, and matrix effects were in the range of 19.1–102.6%. The validated method was successfully applied to the identification and quantification of 5F-MDMB-PICA and its metabolites in hair from authentic forensic cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Shi
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai, China
| | - Liying Zhou
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai, China.,School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai, China
| | - Le Li
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai, China.,School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai, China
| | - Mengxi Liu
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai, China
| | - Huosheng Qiang
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai, China
| | - Min Shen
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai, China
| | - Baohua Shen
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai, China
| | - Hang Chen
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai, China
| | - Olaf H Drummer
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Southbank, VIC, Australia
| | - Wanhui Liu
- School of Pharmacy, Yantai University, Yantai, China
| | - Hejian Wu
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai, China
| | - Ping Xiang
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai Forensic Science Platform, Academy of Forensic Science, Shanghai, China
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35
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Åstrand A, Guerrieri D, Vikingsson S, Kronstrand R, Green H. In vitro characterization of new psychoactive substances at the μ-opioid, CB1, 5HT1A, and 5-HT2A receptors—On-target receptor potency and efficacy, and off-target effects. Forensic Sci Int 2020; 317:110553. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2020.110553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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36
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Vincenti F, Montesano C, Di Ottavio F, Gregori A, Compagnone D, Sergi M, Dorrestein P. Molecular Networking: A Useful Tool for the Identification of New Psychoactive Substances in Seizures by LC-HRMS. Front Chem 2020; 8:572952. [PMID: 33324608 PMCID: PMC7723841 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2020.572952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) are a global concern since they are spreading at an unprecedented rate. Despite their commerce still being limited compared to traditional illicit drugs, the identification of NPS in seizures may represent a challenge because of the variety of possible structures. In this study we report the successful application of molecular networking (MN) to identify unexpected fentanyl analogs in two seizures. The samples were extracted with 1 mL of methanol and analyzed with an untargeted data-dependent acquisition approach by LC–HRMS. The obtained data were examined using the MN workflow within the Global Natural Product Search (GNPS). A job was submitted to GNPS by including both seizures and standard mixtures containing synthetic cannabinoids and fentanyls raw files; spectra obtained from standards were used to establish representative networks for both molecular classes. All synthetic cannabinoids in the mixture were linked together resulting in a molecular network despite their different fragmentation spectra. Looking at fentanyls, all the molecules with the typical 188.143 and 105.070 fragments were combined in a representative network. By exploiting the standard networks two unexpected fentanyls were found in the analyzed seizures and were putatively annotated as para-fluorofuranylfentanyl and (iso)butyrylfentanyl. The identity of these two fentanyl analogs was confirmed by NMR analysis. Other m/z ratios in the seizures were compatible with fentanyl derivatives; however, they appeared to be minor constituents, probably impurities or synthetic byproducts. The latter might be of interest for investigations of common fingerprints among different seizures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flaminia Vincenti
- Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Department of Public Health and Infectious Disease, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Francesca Di Ottavio
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
| | - Adolfo Gregori
- Department of Scientific Investigation (RIS), Carabinieri, Rome, Italy
| | - Dario Compagnone
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
| | - Manuel Sergi
- Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
| | - Pieter Dorrestein
- Collaborative Mass Spectrometry Innovation Center, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
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37
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Liyanage T, Masterson AN, Hati S, Ren G, Manicke NE, Rusyniak DE, Sardar R. Optimization of electromagnetic hot spots in surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates for an ultrasensitive drug assay of emergency department patients' plasma. Analyst 2020; 145:7662-7672. [PMID: 32969415 DOI: 10.1039/d0an01372b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Herein we report the programmable preparation of ultrasensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based nanoplasmonic superlattice substrates to assay fentanyl and cocaine (detection and quantification) from 10 μL aliquots of emergency department patient plasma without the need for purification steps. Highly homogeneous three-dimensional (3D) nanoplasmonic superlattices are generated through the droplet evaporation-based self-assembly process of chemically-synthesized, polyethylene glycol thiolate-coated gold triangular nanoprisms (Au TNPs). Close-packed, solid-state 3D superlattice substrates produce electromagnetic hot spots due to near-field plasmonic coupling of Au TNPs, which display unique localized surface plasmonic resonance properties. These uniquely prepared superlattice substrates enable strong SERS enhancement to achieve a parts-per-quadrillion limit of detection using the label-free SERS-based technique. Our reported limit of detection is at least 100-fold better than any known SERS substrates for the drug assay. Importantly, our density functional theory calculations show that a specific electronic interaction between the drug molecule and novel nanoplasmonic superlattice substrates plays a critical role that may trigger achieving this unprecedentedly high sensitivity. Additionally, we show high selectivity of the superlattice substrate in the SERS-based detection of analytes from different patient samples, which do and do not contain target analytes (i.e., fentanyl and/or cocaine). The demonstrated sensitivity and selectivity of 3D superlattice substrates for SERS-based drug analysis in real toxicological samples are expected to advance the field of measurement science, and forensic and clinical toxicology by obviating the need for complicated sample processing steps, long assay times, and the low sensitivity of existing "gold standard" analytical techniques including gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Taken together, we believe that this entirely new and reproducible superlattice substrate for the SERS analysis will aid scientific, forensic, and healthcare communities to battle the drug overdose epidemic in the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thakshila Liyanage
- Department Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, USA.
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Ares-Fuentes AM, Lorenzo RA, Fernández P, Carro AM. An analytical strategy for designer benzodiazepines and Z-hypnotics determination in plasma samples using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry after microextraction by packed sorbent. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2020; 194:113779. [PMID: 33279303 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2020.113779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The illicit market for new psychoactive substances (NPS) is continuously growing. Designer benzodiazepines (DBZD) and Z-hypnotics are increasingly being used for self-medication or recreational purposes. The limited regulation and little biological information available about NPS have raised the need for analytical methods capable of extracting and quantifying them in human biological fluids. In this work, a procedure based on microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) in combination with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) has been developed to determine the designer benzodiazepines (clonazolam, deschloroetizolam, nifoxipam, flubromazolam and meclonazepam), and the Z-hypnotics (zolpidem, zaleplon and zopiclone) in plasma. A 3342//16 asymmetric screening design was used to study extraction variables such as the type and volume of eluent, pH, number of extraction cycles, volume of washing solvent and type of sorbent. The ensuing analytical method was validated in terms of linearity by standard addition calibration curves at eight different analyte concentration levels from 0.5-500 ng mL-1. R2 values, limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) fell in the ranges 0.9900-0.9988, 0.5-5 ng mL-1 and 1-10 ng mL-1. Intra and interday precision expressed as relative standard deviations, were < 10.6 % and process efficiency ranged from 63 to 117 % for the quality control samples. The proposed method detected zolpidem and various other benzodiazepines in plasma samples from overdoses cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Ares-Fuentes
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - R A Lorenzo
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - P Fernández
- Institute of Forensic Sciences, Forensic Toxicology Service, Faculty of Medicine, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - A M Carro
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
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Recent bionalytical methods for the determination of new psychoactive substances in biological specimens. Bioanalysis 2020; 12:1557-1595. [PMID: 33078960 DOI: 10.4155/bio-2020-0148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the problems associated with the consumption of new psychoactive substances is that in most scenarios of acute toxicity the possibility of quick clinical action may be impaired because many screening methods are not responsive to them, and laboratories are not able to keep pace with the appearance of new substances. For these reasons, developing and validating new analytical methods is mandatory in order to efficiently face those problems, allowing laboratories to be one step ahead. The goal of this work is to perform a critical review regarding bionalytical methods that can be used for the determination of new psychoactive substances (phenylethylamines, cathinones, synthetic cannabinoids, opioids, benzodiazepines, etc), particularly concerning sample preparation techniques and associated analytical methods.
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40
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Dos Santos NA, Macrino CJ, Allochio Filho JF, Gonçalves FF, Almeida CM, Agostini F, Guizolfi T, Moura S, Lacerda V, Filgueiras PR, Ortiz RS, Romão W. Exploring the chemical profile of designer drugs by ESI(+) and PSI(+) mass spectrometry-An approach on the fragmentation mechanisms and chemometric analysis. JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY : JMS 2020; 55:e4596. [PMID: 32729201 DOI: 10.1002/jms.4596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The consumption of design drugs, frequently known as new psychoactive substances (NPS), has increased considerably worldwide, becoming a severe issue for the responsible governmental agencies. These illicit substances can be defined as synthetic compounds produced in clandestine laboratories in order to act as analogs of schedule drugs mimetizing its chemical structure and improving its pharmacological effects while hampering the control and making regulation more complicated. In this way, the development of new methodologies for chemical analysis of NPS drugs is indispensable to determine a novel class of drugs arising from the underground market. Therefore, this work shows the use of high-resolution mass spectrometry Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) applying different ionization sources such as paper spray ionization (PSI) and electrospray ionization (ESI) in the evaluation of miscellaneous of seized drugs samples as blotter paper (n = 79) and tablet (n = 100). Also, an elucidative analysis was performed by ESI(+)MS/MS experiments, and fragmentation mechanisms were proposed to confirm the chemical structure of compounds identified. Besides, the results of ESI(+) and PSI(+)-FT-ICR MS were compared with those of GC-MS, revealing that ESI(+)MS showed greater detection efficiency among the methodologies employed in this study. Moreover, this study stands out as a guide for the chemical analysis of NPS drugs, highlighting the differences between the techniques of ESI(+)-FT-ICR MS, PSI(+)-FT-ICR MS, and GC-MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nayara A Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Petroleômica e Forense, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES), Avenida Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, Vitória, ES, CEP: 29075-910, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Forense (INCT Forense), Vitoria, Brazil
| | - Clebson J Macrino
- Laboratório de Petroleômica e Forense, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES), Avenida Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, Vitória, ES, CEP: 29075-910, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Forense (INCT Forense), Vitoria, Brazil
| | - João Francisco Allochio Filho
- Laboratório de Petroleômica e Forense, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES), Avenida Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, Vitória, ES, CEP: 29075-910, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Forense (INCT Forense), Vitoria, Brazil
- Instituto Federal do Espírito Santo (IFES), Rodovia BR-101 Norte, Km 58, Litorâneo, São Mateus, Espírito Santo, 29932-540, Brazil
| | - Fernanda F Gonçalves
- Laboratório de Petroleômica e Forense, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES), Avenida Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, Vitória, ES, CEP: 29075-910, Brazil
| | - Camila M Almeida
- Laboratório de Petroleômica e Forense, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES), Avenida Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, Vitória, ES, CEP: 29075-910, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Forense (INCT Forense), Vitoria, Brazil
| | - Fabiana Agostini
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Forense (INCT Forense), Vitoria, Brazil
- Laboratório de Biotecnologia de Produtos Naturais e Sintéticos, Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidade de Caxias do Sul, Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, 95020260, Brazil
| | - Tainara Guizolfi
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Forense (INCT Forense), Vitoria, Brazil
- Laboratório de Biotecnologia de Produtos Naturais e Sintéticos, Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidade de Caxias do Sul, Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, 95020260, Brazil
| | - Sidnei Moura
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Forense (INCT Forense), Vitoria, Brazil
- Laboratório de Biotecnologia de Produtos Naturais e Sintéticos, Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidade de Caxias do Sul, Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, 95020260, Brazil
| | - Valdemar Lacerda
- Laboratório de Petroleômica e Forense, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES), Avenida Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, Vitória, ES, CEP: 29075-910, Brazil
| | - Paulo R Filgueiras
- Laboratório de Petroleômica e Forense, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES), Avenida Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, Vitória, ES, CEP: 29075-910, Brazil
| | - Rafael S Ortiz
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Forense (INCT Forense), Vitoria, Brazil
- Superintendência da Polícia Federal no Rio Grande Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Wanderson Romão
- Laboratório de Petroleômica e Forense, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (UFES), Avenida Fernando Ferrari, 514, Goiabeiras, Vitória, ES, CEP: 29075-910, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia Forense (INCT Forense), Vitoria, Brazil
- Instituto Federal do Espírito Santo (IFES), Av. Ministro Salgado Filho, Soteco, Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, 29106-010, Brazil
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Hussain JH, Gilbert N, Costello A, Schofield CJ, Kemsley EK, Sutcliffe OB, Mewis RE. Quantification of MDMA in seized tablets using benchtop 1H NMR spectroscopy in the absence of internal standards. Forensic Chem 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forc.2020.100263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Senior T, Botha MJ, Kennedy AR, Calvo-Castro J. Understanding the Contribution of Individual Amino Acid Residues in the Binding of Psychoactive Substances to Monoamine Transporters. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:17223-17231. [PMID: 32715208 PMCID: PMC7376891 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c01370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The development of point-of-care detection methodologies for biologically relevant analytes that can facilitate rapid and appropriate treatment is at the forefront of current research efforts and interests. Among the various approaches, those exploiting host-guest chemistries where the optoelectronic signals of the chemical sensor can be modulated upon interaction with the target analyte are of particular interest. In aiding their rational development, judicious selection of peripheral functional groups anchored to core motifs with desired properties is critical. Herein, we report an in-depth investigation of the binding of three psychoactive substances, MDAI, mexedrone, and phenibut, to receptors of the monoamine transporters for dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, particularly focusing on the role of individual amino acid residues. We first evaluated the conformational flexibility of the ligands by comparing their experimentally determined crystal structure geometries to those optimized by means of quantum as well as molecular mechanics, observing significant changes in the case of phenibut. Molecular docking studies were employed to identify preferential binding sites by means of calculated docking scores. In all cases, irrespective of the monoamine transporter, psychoactive substances exhibited preferred interaction with the S1 or central site of the proteins, in line with previous studies. However, we observed that experimental trends for their relative potency on the three transporters were only reproduced in the case of mexedrone. Subsequently, to further understand these findings and to pave the way for the rational development of superior chemical sensors for these substances, we computed the individual contributions of each nearest neighbor amino acid residue to the binding to the target analytes. Interestingly, these results are now in agreement with those experimental potency trends. In addition, these observations were in all cases associated with key intermolecular interactions with neighboring residues, such as tyrosine and aspartic acid, in the binding of the ligands to the monoamine transporter for dopamine. As a result, we believe this work will be of interest to those engaged in the rational development of chemical sensors for small molecule analytes as well as to those interested in the use of computational approaches to further understand protein-ligand interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Senior
- School
of Life and Medical Sciences, University
of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9AB, U.K.
| | - Michelle J. Botha
- School
of Life and Medical Sciences, University
of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9AB, U.K.
| | - Alan R. Kennedy
- Department
of Pure & Applied Chemistry, University
of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XL, U.K.
| | - Jesus Calvo-Castro
- School
of Life and Medical Sciences, University
of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9AB, U.K.
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Piorunska-Sedlak K, Stypulkowska K. Strategy for identification of new psychoactive substances in illicit samples using attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy. Forensic Sci Int 2020; 312:110262. [DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2020.110262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Synthetic cathinones – From natural plant stimulant to new drug of abuse. Eur J Pharmacol 2020; 875:173012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2020.173012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Zhou X, Bouitbir J, Liechti ME, Krähenbühl S, Mancuso RV. Hyperthermia Increases Neurotoxicity Associated with Novel Methcathinones. Cells 2020; 9:cells9040965. [PMID: 32295288 PMCID: PMC7227000 DOI: 10.3390/cells9040965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 03/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hyperthermia is one of the severe acute adverse effects that can be caused by the ingestion of recreational drugs, such as methcathinones. The effect of hyperthermia on neurotoxicity is currently not known. The primary aim of our study was therefore to investigate the effects of hyperthermia (40.5 °C) on the neurotoxicity of methcathinone (MC), 4-chloromethcathinone (4-CMC), and 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MMC) in SH-SY5Y cells. We found that 4-CMC and 4-MMC were cytotoxic (decrease in cellular ATP and plasma membrane damage) under both hyper- (40.5 °C) and normothermic conditions (37 °C), whereby cells were more sensitive to the toxicants at 40.5 °C. 4-CMC and 4-MMC impaired the function of the mitochondrial electron transport chain and increased mitochondrial formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in SH-SY5Y cells, which were accentuated under hyperthermic conditions. Hyperthermia was associated with a rapid expression of the 70 kilodalton heat shock protein (Hsp70), which partially prevented cell death after 6 h of exposure to the toxicants. After 24 h of exposure, autophagy was stimulated by the toxicants and by hyperthermia but could only partially prevent cell death. In conclusion, hyperthermic conditions increased the neurotoxic properties of methcathinones despite the stimulation of protective mechanisms. These findings may be important for the understanding of the mechanisms and clinical consequences of the neurotoxicity associated with these compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xun Zhou
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, University Hospital Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; (X.Z.); (J.B.); (M.E.L.); (R.V.M.)
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jamal Bouitbir
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, University Hospital Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; (X.Z.); (J.B.); (M.E.L.); (R.V.M.)
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
- Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Matthias E. Liechti
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, University Hospital Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; (X.Z.); (J.B.); (M.E.L.); (R.V.M.)
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stephan Krähenbühl
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, University Hospital Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; (X.Z.); (J.B.); (M.E.L.); (R.V.M.)
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
- Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +41-61-265-4715
| | - Riccardo V. Mancuso
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, University Hospital Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland; (X.Z.); (J.B.); (M.E.L.); (R.V.M.)
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland
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Drapalova E, Belackova V, Cadet-Taïrou A. How to ask about the use of new psychoactive substances to increase the validity of results in self-report prevalence surveys. Drug Alcohol Rev 2020; 39:278-286. [PMID: 32078202 DOI: 10.1111/dar.13036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2018] [Revised: 12/21/2019] [Accepted: 01/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION AND AIMS New psychoactive substances (NPS) represent hundreds of novel compounds. However, the general public might not be familiar with the overarching term NPS. This can result in both under- and over-reporting of NPS use. DESIGN AND METHODS The study analysed the last-year prevalence of NPS use in an online survey conducted across I-TREND project countries (the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Poland). Self-reported NPS use was assessed within two types of questions-a generic and a checklist question. We analysed prevalence for each question separately, incorporated the free-text probe 'other' that followed them, and combined the two questions into a conservative and an inclusive estimate. RESULTS Including free-text responses to the 'other' categories increased prevalence of NPS use (from 51% to 56% for the checklist question and 25% to 32% for the generic question). Taking an inclusive approach to estimating prevalence (i.e. indicating NPS use in either a generic list or from the checklist) yielded a higher prevalence estimate (60%, 95% confidence interval 58-62%), compared to a more conservative approach in which NPS use had to be affirmed by both questions (27%, 95% confidence interval 26-29%). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Generic questions might lead to notably lower estimates of self-reported NPS use in comparison to checklists. However, creating relevant checklists is challenging and lengthy survey instruments have limitations. Further surveys might benefit from featuring a combination of the strategies used in this study-a single (generic) question involving a number of locally specific NPSs and a free-text 'other' probe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Drapalova
- Department of Addictology, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General Teaching Hospital in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Vendula Belackova
- Department of Addictology, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague and General Teaching Hospital in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
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Niebel A, Krumbiegel F, Hartwig S, Parr MK, Tsokos M. Detection and quantification of synthetic cathinones and selected piperazines in hair by LC-MS/MS. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2019; 16:32-42. [DOI: 10.1007/s12024-019-00209-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Bilel S, Tirri M, Arfè R, Stopponi S, Soverchia L, Ciccocioppo R, Frisoni P, Strano-Rossi S, Miliano C, De-Giorgio F, Serpelloni G, Fantinati A, De Luca MA, Neri M, Marti M. Pharmacological and Behavioral Effects of the Synthetic Cannabinoid AKB48 in Rats. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:1163. [PMID: 31736697 PMCID: PMC6831561 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
AKB48 is a designer drug belonging to the indazole synthetic cannabinoids class, illegally sold as herbal blend, incense, or research chemicals for their psychoactive cannabis-like effects. In the present study, we investigated the in vivo pharmacological and behavioral effects of AKB48 in male rats and measured the pharmacodynamic effects of AKB48 and simultaneously determined its plasma pharmacokinetic. AKB48 at low doses preferentially stimulated dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens shell (0.25 mg/kg) and impaired visual sensorimotor responses (0.3 mg/kg) without affecting acoustic and tactile reflexes, which are reduced only to the highest dose tested (3 mg/kg). Increasing doses (0.5 mg/kg) of AKB48 impaired place preference and induced hypolocomotion in rats. At the highest dose (3 mg/kg), AKB48 induced hypothermia, analgesia, and catalepsy; inhibited the startle/pre-pulse inhibition test; and caused cardiorespiratory changes characterized by bradycardia and mild bradipnea and SpO2 reduction. All behavioral and neurochemical effects were fully prevented by the selective CB1 receptor antagonist/inverse agonist AM251. AKB48 plasma concentrations rose linearly with increasing dose and were correlated with changes in the somatosensory, hypothermic, analgesic, and cataleptic responses in rats. For the first time, this study shows the pharmacological and behavioral effects of AKB48 in rats, correlating them to the plasma levels of the synthetic cannabinoid. Chemical Compound Studied in This Article: AKB48 (PubChem CID: 57404063); AM251 (PubChem CID: 2125).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrine Bilel
- Department of Morphology, Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Section of Legal Medicine and Laboratory for Technologies of Advanced Therapies (LTTA) Centre, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Micaela Tirri
- Department of Morphology, Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Section of Legal Medicine and Laboratory for Technologies of Advanced Therapies (LTTA) Centre, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Raffaella Arfè
- Department of Morphology, Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Section of Legal Medicine and Laboratory for Technologies of Advanced Therapies (LTTA) Centre, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.,Section of Legal Medicine, Institute of Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Serena Stopponi
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | - Laura Soverchia
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | - Roberto Ciccocioppo
- Pharmacology Unit, School of Pharmacy, University of Camerino, Camerino, Italy
| | - Paolo Frisoni
- Department of Morphology, Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Section of Legal Medicine and Laboratory for Technologies of Advanced Therapies (LTTA) Centre, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Sabina Strano-Rossi
- Section of Legal Medicine, Institute of Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristina Miliano
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Fabio De-Giorgio
- Section of Legal Medicine, Institute of Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Serpelloni
- Department of Psychiatry in the College of Medicine, Drug Policy Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Anna Fantinati
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | | | - Margherita Neri
- Department of Morphology, Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Section of Legal Medicine and Laboratory for Technologies of Advanced Therapies (LTTA) Centre, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Matteo Marti
- Department of Morphology, Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Section of Legal Medicine and Laboratory for Technologies of Advanced Therapies (LTTA) Centre, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.,Department of Anti-Drug Policies, Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Collaborative Center for the Italian National Early Warning System, Ferrara, Italy
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49
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May B, Naqi HA, Tipping M, Scott J, Husbands SM, Blagbrough IS, Pudney CR. Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists Detection Using Fluorescence Spectral Fingerprinting. Anal Chem 2019; 91:12971-12979. [PMID: 31580647 PMCID: PMC7006962 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b03037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Synthetic
cannabinoid receptor agonists (SCRAs), termed “Spice”
or “K2”, are molecules that emulate the effects of the
active ingredient of marijuana, and they have gained enormous popularity
over the past decade. SCRAs are Schedule 1 drugs that are highly prevalent
in the U.K. prison system and among homeless populations. SCRAs are
highly potent and addictive. With no way to determine the dose/amount
at the point-of care, they pose severe health risks to users, including
psychosis, stroke, epileptic seizures, and they can kill. SCRAs are
chemically diverse, with over a hundred compounds used as recreational
drugs. The chemical diversity of SCRA structures presents a challenge
in developing detection modalities. Typically, GC-MS is used for chemical
identification; however, this cannot be in place in most settings
where detection is critical, e.g., in hospital Emergency Departments,
in custody suites/prisons, or among homeless communities. Ideally,
real time, point-of-care identification of SCRAs is desirable to direct
the care pathway of overdoses and provide information for informed
consent. Herein, we show that fluorescence spectral fingerprinting
can be used to identify the likely presence of SCRAs, as well as provide
more specific information on structural class and concentration (∼1
μg mL–1). We demonstrate that that fluorescence
spectral fingerprints, combined with numerical modeling, can detect
both parent and combusted material, and such fingerprinting is also
practical for detecting them in oral fluids. Our proof-of-concept
study suggests that, with development, the approach could be useful
in a range of capacities, notably in harm reduction for users of Spice/K2.
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Bekhterev VN, Malyarovskaya VI. Rapid HPLC method for scopoletine determination in Weigela leaves based on one-step sample preparation by extractive freezing-out. MENDELEEV COMMUNICATIONS 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mencom.2019.09.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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