Abstract
ADB-CHMINACA (MAB-CHMINACA) is a new synthetic cannabinoid with high potency and many reported adverse events and fatalities. The drug is currently scheduled in several countries in Europe and the USA. Analytical methods need to be developed to confirm ADB-CHMINACA intake for clinical and forensic programs. For many synthetic cannabinoids, parent compound is not detectable in biological samples after intake, making the detection of metabolites the only way to prove consumption. Therefore, detection of ADB-CHMINACA metabolites in biological specimens is critical. Since there are currently no published data on ADB-CHMINACA metabolism, we aimed to identify its major metabolites. Cryopreserved human hepatocytes were incubated with 10 μmol/L ADB-CHMINACA for 3 h. Incubations were analyzed with liquid chromatography on a biphenyl column, high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (orbitrap), and metabolite identification software. A reference standard of six commercially available potential metabolites was simultaneously analyzed under the same conditions to allow correct assignment of isomers. We detected ten major metabolites. Biotransformations mainly occurred at the cyclohexylmethyl tail of the compound, as also observed with structural analogs’ metabolism. Minor reactions also occurred at the tert-butyl chain. Only two analytical standards of potential metabolites matched an actual metabolite detected in hepatocyte incubations. We recommend A9 (ADB-CHMINACA hydroxycyclohexylmethyl), A4 (ADB-CHMINACA 4″-hydroxycyclohexyl), and A6 (ADB-CHMINACA hydroxycyclohexylmethyl) as metabolite targets to document ADB-CHMINACA intake in clinical and forensic cases. Additionally, these results will guide analytical standard manufacturers to better provide suitable references for further studies on ADB-CHMINACA metabolism.
Highlights
Synthetic cannabinoids (SC) are novel psychoactive substances (NPS) producing their effects via the endocannabinoid system, as central (CB1) and peripheral (CB2) cannabinoid receptor agonists [1]
As the occurrence of consumption and the diversity of SC increased, SC intake is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality [7,8,9,10]
As observed in structural analogs ADBFUBINACA [36], ADB-PINACA, and 5F-ADB-PINACA [34], major fragments were produced by neutral loss of amine (m/z 354.2169), terminal carboxamide (m/z 326.2219), dimethylbutanamide (m/z 259.1439), and aminodimethylbutanamide (m/z 241.1330) groups
Summary
Synthetic cannabinoids (SC) are novel psychoactive substances (NPS) producing their effects via the endocannabinoid system, as central (CB1) and peripheral (CB2) cannabinoid receptor agonists [1]. SC potency and binding affinity for CB1 and CB2 are often much higher than classic cannabinoids, such as Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive constituent of cannabis [1,2,3,4]. SC are actively abused since 2008 as Blegal highs^ [5]. Many countries scheduled SC as illicit substances, but clandestine laboratories continue to produce new molecules to circumvent the law. In Japan, where the scheduling process is the fastest, 858 SC were controlled by April 2015 [6]. As the occurrence of consumption and the diversity of SC increased, SC intake is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality [7,8,9,10]
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