Quantitative analysis of thiamylal and its metabolite secobarbital using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in adipose tissue, serum, and liver

Thiamylal is an ultrashort-acting barbiturate used for intravenous administration or general anesthesia induction. However, some cases of poisoning and suicide with thiamylal administration have been reported. Additionally, there are few reports on its analysis in the organs and adipose tissue, which requires purification by column chromatography and evaporation. A rapid and sensitive method was developed for quantifying thiamylal and its metabolite, secobarbital, in the adipose tissue, serum, and liver using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Samples were prepared using modified QuEChERS extraction. For adipose tissue samples, an acetonitrile-hexane partitioning step was added to the extraction. This method was applied to investigate a suspected self-poisoning autopsy case. The quantitation accuracy for thiamylal added to porcine pericardial fat (0.18 µg/g), human serum (0.015 µg/mL), and porcine liver (0.18 µg/g) was 103%, 113%, and 95.3%, respectively. The quantitation limits calculated for porcine pericardial fat, human serum, and porcine liver at a signal-to-noise ratio of 10 were 0.06 µg/g, 0.005 µg/mL, and 0.06 µg/g, respectively. In addition, the thiamylal and secobarbital levels in the forensic autopsy case were 140 and 1.5 µg/g, respectively, in myocardial fat; 3.5-4.9 and 0.12-0.20 µg/mL, respectively, in serum; and 6.2-42 and 0.58-1.1 µg/g, respectively, in liver tissue. Thiamylal is especially distributed in the adipose tissue. The thiamylal-to-fat ratio may help estimate the time from administration to death. The developed modified QuEChERS extraction method with acetonitrile-hexane partitioning is suitable for analyzing hydrophobic compounds, such as thiamylal, in the adipose tissue.

Barbiturates induce mitochondrial depolarization and potentiate excitotoxic neuronal death

Barbiturates are widely used as anesthetics, anticonvulsants, and neuroprotective agents. However, barbiturates may also inhibit mitochondrial respiration, and mitochondrial inhibitors are known to potentiate NMDA receptor-mediated neurotoxicity. Here we used rat cortical cultures to examine the effect of barbiturates on neuronal mitochondria and responses to NMDA receptor stimulation. The barbiturates tested, secobarbital, amobarbital, and thiamylal, each potentiated NMDA-induced neuron death at barbiturate concentrations relevant to clinical and experimental use (100-300 microm). By using rhodamine-123 under quenching conditions, barbiturates in this concentration range were shown to depolarize neuronal mitochondria and greatly amplify NMDA-induced mitochondrial depolarization. Barbiturate-induced mitochondrial depolarization was increased by the ATP synthase inhibitor oligomycin, indicating that barbiturates act by inhibiting electron transport sufficiently to cause ATP synthase reversal. Barbiturates similarly amplified the effects of NMDA on cytoplasmic free calcium concentrations. The cell-impermeant barbiturate N-glucoside amobarbital did not influence mitochondrial potential or potentiate NMDA neurotoxicity or calcium responses. However, all of the barbiturates attenuated NMDA-induced calcium elevations and cell death when present at millimolar concentrations. Whole-cell patch-clamp studies showed that these effects may be attributable to actions at the cell membrane, resulting in a block of NMDA-induced current flux at millimolar barbiturate concentrations. Together, these findings reconcile previous reports of opposing effects on barbiturates on NMDA neurotoxicity and show that barbiturate effects on neuronal mitochondria can be functionally significant. Effects of barbiturates on neuronal mitochondria should be considered in experimental and clinical application of these drugs.