Abstract
PurposePsychoactive compounds that contain a phenylethylamine structure (such as amphetamine-type stimulants and synthetic cathinones) are one of the major classes of stimulants on the recreational drug market. Approximately 670 new psychoactive substances (NPS) are monitored only in Europe; however, new psychoactive compounds are being developed for illicit trade each year. In this context, the development of new analytical procedures for the determination of such compounds in biological specimens for forensic toxicology is of great importance.MethodsGas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS) technique was applied for analysis of amphetamines and synthetic cathinones. The volumes of 200 µL of each whole blood sample and 1 mL of liquid-liquid extraction solvent were used for extraction, followed by pentafluoropropionyl derivatization.ResultsA high-throughput, robust, rapid, and sensitive procedure involving a simple liquid-liquid extraction for the simultaneous determination of 45 amphetamine-type stimulants and synthetic cathinones in whole blood was developed. The assay was validated based on its recovery (83.2–106%), interday accuracy (89.0–108%), and interday precision (≤ 8.1%). In view of the low limits of detection (ranged between 0.02 and 0.72 ng/mL) and limits of quantification (1 and 2.5 ng/mL), the developed method can serve as a less expensive and more ecologically friendly alternative to the liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometric methods.ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first work presenting a GC–MS/MS method for the determination of NPS in blood samples. The presented procedure was applied to authentic samples from forensic cases, demonstrating its utility in the quantification of a wide number of psychoactive substances in routine toxicological analyses. The developed procedure can also be easily expanded to additional compounds.
Highlights
Despite many campaigns against drug use and increasing public understanding of their potential harmful health effects, the abuse of recreational drugs still poses serious social and economic problems worldwide [1]
Psychoactive compounds that contain a phenylethylamine (PEA) core are one of the major classes of stimulants on the recreational drug market. These include both classic drugs, such as amphetamine-type stimulants (ATSs), and new psychoactive substances (NPS), especially β-keto-amphetamines analogues known as synthetic cathinones, which are growing in popularity
The derivatized mixture of analytes and the internal standards (ISs) (2 μL) at a concentration of 25 μg/ mL was injected into the GC–mass spectrometry (MS)/MS system in full scan mode in the range of 30–500 m/z using standard equipment parameters; i.e., the temperatures of the injection port, MS transfer line and ion source were 260, 285, and 230 °C, respectively
Summary
Despite many campaigns against drug use and increasing public understanding of their potential harmful health effects, the abuse of recreational drugs still poses serious social and economic problems worldwide [1]. The use of both classic drugs and new psychoactive substances (NPS) is very popular, especially among young people. These types of drugs all tend to stimulate the central nervous system and offer hallucinogenic and psychedelic effects, which makes their use attractive. Psychoactive compounds that contain a phenylethylamine (PEA) core are one of the major classes of stimulants on the recreational drug market. These include both classic drugs, such as amphetamine-type stimulants (ATSs), and NPS, especially β-keto-amphetamines analogues known as synthetic cathinones, which are growing in popularity. PEA derivatives constitute approximately 37% of the NPS present on the black market [3]
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