In the brain of a chronic MDMA user, serotonin and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid were depleted by 50 to 80% in the striatum, while dopamine levels remained normal. This suggests that MDMA exposure can reduce serotonin stores in the human brain, and some behavioral effects of the drug may result from massive release and depletion of serotonin.
A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method was developed to screen for six designer tryptamines and phenethylamines recently added to the DEA's controlled substances list. The method detects pentafluoropropionic derivatives of AMT, DMT, 2CB, DPT, 2C-T-7, and 5-MeO-DiPT, with detection limits of 5-10 ng/mL and linearity from 50 to 1000 ng/mL. It was successfully applied to blood and urine from suspected AMT intoxications. Confirmation of 5-MeO-DiPT in one subject's urine by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry yielded a concentration of 229 ng/mL, with linearity from 25 to 1500 ng/mL and a detection limit of 5 ng/mL. Two additional peaks suggested metabolites 5-MeO-iPT and 5-MeO-DiPT-N-oxide.
A 23-year-old Caucasian male died after being subdued by military law enforcement, having experienced severe respiratory distress. Autopsy revealed mild to moderate coronary atherosclerosis, biventricular dilation, mild right ventricular hypertrophy, and bilateral pulmonary edema and congestion. Blood contained no drugs or ethanol, but urine had pseudoephedrine, nicotine, and cotinine. A designer drug screen detected 25C-NBOMe, 25C-NBOH, and 2C-C in blood and urine. 25C-NBOMe concentrations were measured in blood (2.07 ng/mL), urine (27.43 ng/mL), and various organs. The medical examiner ruled the cause of death as 25C-NBOMe toxicity temporally associated with excited delirium and forcible restraint, manner accidental.
A new analytical method using solid-phase extraction with liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry accurately detects and quantifies the psychoactive compound salvinorin A in human blood and urine. The method reliably measures concentrations between 5.0 and 100 ng/mL, with a detection limit of 2.5 ng/mL and a quantitation limit of 5.0 ng/mL. It provides a robust tool for forensic toxicology to identify salvinorin A in biological fluids, addressing the lack of published methods and supporting research on the compound's health effects and pharmacokinetics.