Drug Testing and Analysis
June 1, 2021
Islam Amine Larabi, Fanny Zerizer, Alice Ameline et al.
23 citations
A new ketamine analogue, deschloro-N-ethyl-ketamine (O-PCE), involved in severe intoxications and deaths, was metabolically profiled for the first time. After incubating O-PCE with human liver microsomes and analyzing urine and hair from a 43-year-old male user using high-resolution mass spectrometry, 15 metabolites were identified. Nine metabolites detected in urine extended the detection window after O-PCE itself was no longer present. The five most abundant urinary markers were 2-en-PCA-N-Glu (34%), M3 (16%), O-PCA-N-Glu (15.4%), OH-O-PCE (15%), and OH-PCE (11.9%). In hair, nine metabolites appeared; OH-PCA dominated (78%) with a metabolite-to-parent-drug ratio of 6, making it the best marker for long-term monitoring of O-PCE exposure.
Forensic Sciences Research
January 1, 2021
Nadia Arbouche, Pascal Kintz, Cecile Zagdoun et al.
16 citations
A fatal intoxication case involving the new psychoactive substance 3-MeO-PCP is reported. The drug, a potent NMDA receptor agonist, was detected in femoral blood at 3,525 ng/mL and urine at 7,384 ng/mL, a blood concentration exceeding previously reported fatal ranges (50–3,200 ng/mL). For the first time, metabolites were identified in blood, including two newly discovered ones: O-demethyl-piperidine-OH-3-MeO-PCP and O-demethyl-cyclohexyl-OH. However, due to unavailable reference standards, metabolite concentrations could not be measured. Low metabolite-to-parent drug ratios (<1) suggest that testing for metabolites does not extend the detection window for this drug.
International Journal of Legal Medicine
July 1, 2021
Pascal Kintz, Jean-Sébastien Raul, Alice Ameline
8 citations
Hair and toenail samples collected seven months after a murder showed traces of the new psychoactive substances 25I-NBOMe (2 pg/mg in axillary hair, 1 pg/mg in toenails) and 4-MMC (6 pg/mg in axillary hair, 5 pg/mg in toenails), while head hair tested negative. The negative head hair result ruled out drug exposure in the four months before collection and external contamination. Combining the detection windows of axillary hair (about 4 to 8 months) and toenails (up to 8 months) allowed the authors to conclude that the positive findings are more likely than not consistent with consumption of both substances at the time of the crime.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
July 22, 2023
Alice Ameline, Morgane Baudry, Delphine Garnier et al.
1 citation
A 38-year-old man with a history of drug addiction was found dead at home with two bags of powder. Toxicological analysis of his blood detected 3-hydroxyphencyclidine (3-OH-PCP) at 524 ng/mL, the highest concentration ever reported in the literature. Other drugs found in his blood included nordiazepam, methylphenidate, amisulpride, methadone, and benzoylecgonine at levels typical of recreational abuse. Hair testing showed 3-OH-PCP at 174 pg/mg, suggesting chronic use. Analysis of the powders identified 3-OH-PCP and 5-methoxy-dimethyltryptamine with purities of 85.4% and 91.3%, respectively. 3-OH-PCP is a derivative of phencyclidine that acts on the NMDA receptor with higher affinity than phencyclidine.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
May 1, 2019
Alice Ameline, Hugues Greney, Laurent Monassier et al.
Two fatal overdoses involving the dissociative drug 3-methoxyphencyclidine (3-MeO-PCP) are described. The compound, a new psychoactive substance in the phencyclidine family, has been proposed as a legal alternative to phencyclidine in some countries. Using mass spectrometry, the authors detected 3-MeO-PCP and its metabolites in human urine. In vitro metabolism studies with human liver microsomes identified four metabolites: O-demethyl-3-MeO-PCP, piperidine-hydroxy-3-MeO-PCP, O-demethyl-piperidine-di-hydroxy-3-MeO-PCP, and piperidine-di-hydroxy-3-MeO-PCP. All were found in the urine of both cases. The ratio of each metabolite to parent 3-MeO-PCP was always less than 1, indicating that testing for metabolites does not extend the detection window for the drug.
International Journal of Legal Medicine
March 1, 2019
Pascal Kintz, Alice Ameline, Alexis Walch et al.
A 39-year-old woman with a history of multidrug abuse was murdered by ligature strangulation. Toxicological analysis of her blood, bile, urine, and hair detected ethanol (1.37 g/L), diazepam (157 ng/mL), nordiazepam (204 ng/mL), cocaine (25 ng/mL), benzoylecgonine (544 ng/mL), and the dissociative hallucinogen 3-MeO-PCP. Concentrations of 3-MeO-PCP were 63 ng/mL in femoral blood, 64 ng/mL in bile, and 94 ng/mL in urine; hair segments showed 731, 893, and 846 pg/mg, indicating long-term use. The combination of drugs, especially 3-MeO-PCP, likely caused major impairment including visual hallucinations and altered behavior. This is the first reported hair concentrations for 3-MeO-PCP.
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology
January 1, 2017
Alice Ameline, Audrey Farrugia, Jean-Sébastien Raul et al.
A retrospective case report demonstrates acute poisoning with the hallucinogenic designer drug 25I-NBOMe, confirmed through hair analysis six and a half months after consumption. Hair strands were segmented and analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS, revealing 1.0 pg/mg in the 4–6 cm segment and 4.9 pg/mg in the 6–8 cm segment, with the latter aligning with the reported consumption date. The findings represent the first documented use of hair analysis to detect 25I-NBOMe, though the toxicological significance of the measured concentrations remains uncertain due to limited knowledge about the drug's incorporation into hair keratin. The authors caution that hair analysis for new psychoactive substances should be interpreted carefully by experienced forensic toxicologists.