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Song CH, Jia W, Liu CM, Hua ZD, Meng X, Zhao YB, Li T, Cai LS, Zhao X. New trends of new psychoactive substances (NPS)-infused chocolate: Identification and quantification of trace level of NPS in complex matrix by GC-MS and NMR. Talanta 2023; 255:124257. [PMID: 36630788 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2023.124257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
For the first time, the identification and quantification of trace level of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in a complex chocolate matrix have been reported. Since the beginning of 2022, suspected NPS-infused chocolate samples confiscated in inbound packages have been continuously sent to our laboratory for analysis. The qualitative gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) results were verified by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and 19F NMR to distinguish between potential aromatic isomers. A total of 11 NPS including deoxymethoxetamine, 3-OH-PCP, 6-APB, 4-APB, 4-OH-MiPT, 3-FEA, 2-FEA, 3-MMC, bromazolam, 2-FDCK, and ADB-BUTINACA were detected in 65 seized chocolate samples. A general 1H quantitative NMR (1H qNMR) method for quantification of 297 types of NPS in complex chocolate matrixes was devised for the first time after rigorous analysis of various critical features of merit, including suitable deuterated solvent, internal standard, quantitative peaks, and instrument acquisition parameters. Validation of the method using six different types of NPS afforded limits of detection of 0.05-0.1 mg/mL, limits of quantification of 0.01-0.03 mg/mL, repeatability and reproducibility lower than 0.5% and 3.6%, recoveries of 91.7%∼104.4%, and absence of matrix effect. The quantitative analysis of 65 seized chocolate samples by 1H qNMR and 19F qNMR showed that the content of NPS was in the range of 0.5 mg/g∼44.1 mg/g. Generally, the developed qNMR method was simple, fast, precise, and can be performed without reference materials of NPS. Since the type and content of NPS are relatively random, chocolate consumers will face huge health risks. Therefore, this new trend of NPS-infused chocolate deserves and requires more attention from national NPS monitoring departments as well as forensic laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Hui Song
- China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, Jiangsu, China
| | - Wei Jia
- Key Laboratory of Drug Monitoring and Control, Drug Intelligence and Forensic Center, Ministry of Public Security, P.R.C.; National Anti-Drug Laboratory of China; Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Cui-Mei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Drug Monitoring and Control, Drug Intelligence and Forensic Center, Ministry of Public Security, P.R.C.; National Anti-Drug Laboratory of China; Beijing, 100193, China.
| | - Zhen-Dong Hua
- Key Laboratory of Drug Monitoring and Control, Drug Intelligence and Forensic Center, Ministry of Public Security, P.R.C.; National Anti-Drug Laboratory of China; Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Xin Meng
- Key Laboratory of Drug Monitoring and Control, Drug Intelligence and Forensic Center, Ministry of Public Security, P.R.C.; National Anti-Drug Laboratory of China; Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Yan-Biao Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Drug Monitoring and Control, Drug Intelligence and Forensic Center, Ministry of Public Security, P.R.C.; National Anti-Drug Laboratory of China; Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Tao Li
- Key Laboratory of Drug Monitoring and Control, Drug Intelligence and Forensic Center, Ministry of Public Security, P.R.C.; National Anti-Drug Laboratory of China; Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Le-Si Cai
- National Anti-Drug Laboratory Beijing Regional Center, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Xia Zhao
- National Anti-Drug Laboratory Beijing Regional Center, Beijing, 100101, China
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Ferrari Júnior E, Leite BHM, Gomes EB, Vieira TM, Sepulveda P, Caldas ED. Fatal cases involving new psychoactive substances and trends in analytical techniques. Front Toxicol 2022; 4:1033733. [PMID: 36387045 PMCID: PMC9640761 DOI: 10.3389/ftox.2022.1033733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
New psychoactive substances (NPS) are an emerging public health issue and deaths are commonly associated with polydrug abuse. Moreover, the number of new substances available is constantly increasing, causing intoxications in low doses, characteristics that impose to toxicology and forensic laboratories to keep routine methods up to date, with high detectability and constantly acquiring new analytical standards. Likewise, NPS metabolites and respective elimination pathways are usually unknown, making it difficult the detection and confirmation of the drug involved in the fatal case in an analytical routine. A literature search was performed on PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases for papers related to chromatographic analyses from fatal cases related to NPS use published from 2016 to 2021. A total of 96 papers were retrieved and reviewed in this study. Opioids, synthetic cathinones, phenethylamines/amphetamines and cannabinoids were the NPS classes most found in the fatal cases. In many cases, multiple compounds were detected in the biological samples, including prescription and other illegal drugs. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, an alternative to overcome the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry limitations for some compounds, was the analytical technique most used in the studies, and high resolution mass spectrometry was often applied to NPS metabolite investigation and structural characterization and identification of unknown compounds. Toxicological screening and quantitation methods need to be continuously updated to include new substances that are emerging on the drug market that can be fatal at very low doses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ettore Ferrari Júnior
- Forensic Analysis Laboratory, Criminalistics Institute, The Civil Police of the Federal District, Brasília, Brazil,Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Pharmacy, University of Brasília, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Brasília, Brazil
| | | | - Eliude Barbosa Gomes
- Forensic Analysis Laboratory, Criminalistics Institute, The Civil Police of the Federal District, Brasília, Brazil
| | | | - Pedro Sepulveda
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Brasília, Campus Ceilândia, Brasília, Brazil
| | - Eloisa Dutra Caldas
- Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Pharmacy, University of Brasília, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Brasília, Brazil,*Correspondence: Eloisa Dutra Caldas,
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Aknouche F, Ameline A, Gheddar L, Maruejouls C, Kintz P. Fatal Rectal Injection of 3-MMC in a Sexual Context. Toxicological Investigations Including Metabolites Identification Using LC-HRMS. J Anal Toxicol 2022; 46:949-955. [PMID: 35767277 DOI: 10.1093/jat/bkac048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The dead body of a 59-year-old man was found at his home by his father. The subject was naked in the corridor, wearing a black hood and a collar around the neck where a dog leash was attached. An empty syringe was discovered in the decedent's rectal vein. The autopsy revealed marked asphyxia signs with no indication of violence or trauma. Femoral blood, urine and hair (4 cm, brown) were collected and submitted for comprehensive toxicological investigation. Initial screening did not indicate the presence of ethanol or any other over-the-counter or prescription pharmaceuticals. Routine toxicology screening by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) tentatively identified only the cathinone stereoisomer(s), 3-methylmethcathinone (3-MMC) or mephedrone (4-MMC). Analysis by GC-MS to distinguish between the isomers revealed the presence of 3-MMC, which was subsequently quantified by LC-MS-MS. Femoral blood and urine concentrations were 1437 ng/mL and 16733 ng/mL, respectively. In 4 x 1 cm hair segments, 3-MMC was detected at less than 10 pg/mg (LOQ). Further analysis by high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) allowed identification of two metabolites in both blood and urine: desmethyl-3-MMC and hydroxyl-3-MMC. The pathologist established the cause of death in this case as acute 3-MMC poisoning in the context of ChemSex.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alice Ameline
- Institut de médecine légale, 11 rue Humann, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Laurie Gheddar
- Institut de médecine légale, 11 rue Humann, F-67000 Strasbourg, France
| | | | - Pascal Kintz
- Institut de médecine légale, 11 rue Humann, F-67000 Strasbourg, France.,X-Pertise Consulting, 42 rue principale, F-67206 Mittelhausbergen, France
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Abstract
Cathinone, the main psychoactive compound found in the plant Catha edulis Forsk. (khat), is a β-keto analogue of amphetamine, sharing not only the phenethylamine structure, but also the amphetamine-like stimulant effects. Synthetic cathinones are derivatives of the naturally occurring cathinone that largely entered the recreational drug market at the end of 2000s. The former "legal status", impressive marketing strategies and their commercial availability, either in the so-called "smartshops" or via the Internet, prompted their large spread, contributing to their increasing popularity in the following years. As their popularity increased, the risks posed for public health became clear, with several reports of intoxications and deaths involving these substances appearing both in the social media and scientific literature. The regulatory measures introduced thereafter to halt these trending drugs of abuse have proved to be of low impact, as a continuous emergence of new non-controlled derivatives keep appearing to replace those prohibited. Users resort to synthetic cathinones due to their psychostimulant properties but are often unaware of the dangers they may incur when using these substances. Therefore, studies aimed at unveiling the pharmacological and toxicological properties of these substances are imperative, as they will provide increased expertise to the clinicians that face this problem on a daily basis. The present work provides a comprehensive review on history and legal status, chemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, adverse effects and lethality in humans, as well as on the current knowledge of the neurotoxic mechanisms of synthetic cathinones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Soares
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Vera Marisa Costa
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Maria de Lourdes Bastos
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Félix Carvalho
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - João Paulo Capela
- UCIBIO, REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
- FP-ENAS (Fernando Pessoa Energy, Environment and Health Research Unit), CEBIMED (Biomedical Research Centre), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Fernando Pessoa, Porto, Portugal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Adamowicz
- Department of Forensic Toxicology, Institute of Forensic Research, Kraków, Poland
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Esteve-Turrillas FA, Armenta S, de la Guardia M. Sample preparation strategies for the determination of psychoactive substances in biological fluids. J Chromatogr A 2020; 1633:461615. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2020.461615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Revised: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Bottinelli C, Revelut K, Hologne M, Gaillard Y, Bévalot F. GC-MS, GC-QTOF and NMR analyses to elucidate composition of 41 powders from an NPS collector. Toxicologie Analytique et Clinique 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxac.2019.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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