Detection and identification of drug traces in latent fingermarks using Raman spectroscopy

Deep ultraviolet Raman spectroscopic analysis of antihistamine drugs in oral fluid for forensic purposes

Owing to its inherent nondestructive nature, rapid analysis and simplicity, Raman spectroscopy has emerged as a promising tool for forensic analysis of different bodily fluids, particularly oral fluid (OF). Accurate drug identification and quantification are essential for understanding the circumstances surrounding a case, such as whether it involves an overdose fatality, substance abuse, or drug trafficking. This study aims to evaluate the potential of using deep ultraviolet Raman spectroscopy (DUVRS) to detect the antihistamine cetirizine (CTZ) in liquid and solid OF samples. The application of DUVRS facilitated CTZ detection in liquid OF samples with a limit of detection (LOD) of 50 µg/mL. Additionally, integrating multivariate statistical analysis with DUVRS enabled reliable differentiation between pure OF stains and those contaminated with CTZ, thereby demonstrating its high sensitivity for CTZ detection. Further method development is warranted, involving larger cohorts of donors, increased numbers of samples, and a broader range of drug types, to enhance the practicality of this approach for forensic applications.

Construction of biocatalysts based on P450BM3 for the degradation of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widespread pollutants in aquatic environments, posing significant risks to both ecosystems and human health due to their persistence and bioaccumulation. Effective and sustainable degradation methods are urgently required to address this environmental challenge. This study aims to design and optimize a cytochrome P450BM3-based biocatalyst for the rapid and efficient degradation of NSAIDs by direct chemical intervention and protein engineering. The novel biocatalyst achieved efficient biodegradation of four common NSAIDs. Notably, the F87I/T268D mutant achieved 99.22 % degradation of diclofenac (DCF) within 10 min, and degraded meloxicam (MEL) and phenylbutazone (PBZ) at rates of 98.86 % and 90.51 % within 5 min, respectively. Furthermore, the F87G mutant accomplished 99.08 % degradation of acetaminophen (APAP) within just 2 min. The catalytic properties of P450BM3 and its mutants were evaluated through kinetic studies, and potential degradation pathways of the four NSAIDs were proposed in conjunction with UPLC-MS. This study provides a novel biocatalytic approach for the rapid degradation of NSAIDs in aquatic systems, offering considerable environmental benefits for pollution mitigation.

Strategies and Progress of Raman Technologies for Cellular Uptake Analysis of the Drug Delivery Systems

Nanoparticle (NP)-based drug delivery systems have the potential to significantly enhance the pharmacological and therapeutic properties of drugs. These systems enhance the bioavailability and biocompatibility of pharmaceutical agents via enabling targeted delivery to specific tissues or organs. However, the efficacy and safety of these systems are largely dependent on the cellular uptake and intracellular transport of NPs. Thus, it is crucial to monitor the intracellular behavior of NPs within a single cell. Yet, it is challenging due to the complexity and size of the cell. Recently, the development of the Raman instrumentation offers a versatile tool to allow noninvasive cellular measurements. The primary objective of this review is to highlight the most recent advancements in Raman techniques (spontaneous Raman scattering, bioorthogonal Raman scattering, coherence Raman scattering, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering) when it comes to assessing the internalization of NP-based drug delivery systems and their subsequent movement within cells.

Drug classification with a spectral barcode obtained with a smartphone Raman spectrometer

Measuring, recording and analyzing spectral information of materials as its unique finger print using a ubiquitous smartphone has been desired by scientists and consumers. We demonstrated it as drug classification by chemical components with smartphone Raman spectrometer. The Raman spectrometer is based on the CMOS image sensor of the smartphone with a periodic array of band pass filters, capturing 2D Raman spectral intensity map, newly defined as spectral barcode in this work. Here we show 11 major components of drugs are classified with high accuracy, 99.0%, with the aid of convolutional neural network (CNN). The beneficial of spectral barcodes is that even brand name of drug is distinguishable and major component of unknown drugs can be identified. Combining spectral barcode with information obtained by red, green and blue (RGB) imaging system or applying image recognition techniques, this inherent property based labeling system will facilitate fundamental research and business opportunities.

Application of TGA/c-DTA for Distinguishing between Two Forms of Naproxen in Pharmaceutical Preparations

Naproxen is one of the most used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). It is used to treat pain of various origins, inflammation and fever. Pharmaceutical preparations containing naproxen are available with prescription and over-the-counter (OTC). Naproxen in pharmaceutical preparations is used in the form of acid and sodium salt. From the point of view of pharmaceutical analysis, it is crucial to distinguish between these two forms of drugs. There are many costly and laborious methods to do this. Therefore, new, faster, cheaper and, at the same time, simple-to-perform identification methods are sought. In the conducted studies, thermal methods such as thermogravimetry (TGA) supported by calculated differential thermal analysis (c-DTA) were proposed to identify the type of naproxen in commercially available pharmaceutical preparations. In addition, the thermal methods used were compared with pharmacopoeial methods for the identification of compounds, such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-Vis spectrophotometry, and a simple colorimetric analyses. In addition, using nabumetone, a close structural analog of naproxen, the specificity of the TGA and c-DTA methods was assessed. Studies have shown that the thermal analyses used are effective and selective in distinguishing the form of naproxen in pharmaceutical preparations. This indicates the potential possibility of using TGA supported by c-DTA as an alternative method.

New Horizons for Estimating the Time Since Deposition of Fingermarks: Combining Label-Free Physical Visualization and Electrochemical Characterization

The time since deposition (TSD) of latent fingermarks (LFMs) serves as "witnesses" for crime scene reconstructions. Nevertheless, existing TSD prediction approaches focused on either physical or chemical aging parameters leading to inaccurate estimation. A novel label-free protocol has been developed, where both physical ridge patterns and lipid oxide (LipOx) degradation kinetics are realized using optical microscopy and scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) and combined for TSD prediction. Specifically, the surface interrogation (SI)-SECM titration was utilized to monitor the LipOx degradation in LFM arrays aligned by hole array masks, through which we derived the LipOx degradation function. After establishing the relationship between several titration parameters and titrated area by experimental and numerical simulation methods, the titrated area could be reasonably estimated and subsequently used to calculate the surface coverage of LipOx. Results demonstrated that the tip transient revealed the LipOx coverage of deposited LFMs. Notably, LipOx coverage was found to increase during the first day and then decrease over time, whose degradation rate was susceptible to light. Thus, TSD candidates of an LFM could be limited to two values through the established function. Due to the nonmonotonic trend of LipOx aging, a physical parameter "the gray value ratio (GVR) of furrows to ridges" was proposed to exclude irrelevant TSD through support vector machine (SVM) classification. Ultimately, we predicted TSDs of seven LFMs with estimation errors of 2.2-26.8%. Overall, our strategy, with the outperformed capability of gleaning physical and electrochemical information on LFMs, can provide a truly label-free way of studying LFMs and hold great promise for multidimensional fingerprint information analysis.

Magnetic Nanoparticle-Based Surface-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Cosmetics Detection in Contaminated Fingermarks: Magnetic Recovery and Surface Roughness

In this work, we propose a matrix-free approach for the analysis of fingermarks (FMs) contaminated with five cosmetic products containing different active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) using surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI-MS). For this purpose, a magnetic SALDI substrate based on Fe₃O₄-CeO₂ magnetic nanoparticles was prepared, characterized, and optimized for the analysis of contaminated FMs without sample pretreatment. Initially, groomed FM and cosmetic products were separately analyzed, and their major components were successfully detected. Subsequently, FMs contaminated with Ordinary serum and Skinoren, Dermovate, Bepanthen, and Eucerin creams were analyzed, and components of FM and cosmetics were detected. The stability of the cosmetics in FMs was studied over an interval of 28 days, and all components showed good stability in FM for 4 weeks. Recovery of contaminated FMs from different surfaces utilizing a few microliters of the magnetic substrate was carried out using a simple external magnetic field from ceramic, plastic, metal, and glass. Successful retrieval of the API and FM components was achieved with magnetic recovery, and glass exhibited the best recovery, whereas ceramic tile demonstrated the lowest recovery. This was supported by atomic force microscopy study, which revealed that the ceramic surface had higher roughness than the other surfaces employed in this study, which adversely affected the magnetic maneuvering. This proof-of-concept investigation extends the application of SALDI-MS in forensic analysis of contaminated FMs by exploring cosmetics as exogenous materials and their stability and recovery from different surfaces.