Journal of Analytical Toxicology
June 1, 2009
Arthur C.k. Chung, J. Hudson, G Mckay
19 citations
A validated ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method can confirm and quantify lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and three of its metabolites—iso-LSD, nor-LSD, and O-H-LSD—in blood and urine. Detection limits are as low as 5 pg/mL in blood for LSD and iso-LSD, and 10 pg/mL in urine for all analytes. The method is linear, accurate, and precise across specified concentration ranges. Applied to samples from a suspected LSD user, it marks the first reported detection of O-H-LSD in blood.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
October 1, 1999
J. H. Sklerov, Kathryn S. Kalasinsky, C. A. Ehorn
19 citations
A confirmatory method using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS-MS) with an internal ionization ion trap detector can detect and quantify lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in urine. After a single-step solid-phase extraction of 5 mL of urine, underivatized LSD is measured with limits of quantitation and detection of 80 and 20 pg/mL, respectively. Temperature-programmed on-column injections show linearity over 20-2000 pg/mL (r² = 0.999). Intraday and interday coefficients of variation are below 6% and 13%, respectively. The method has been applied to quality-control specimens and LSD-positive samples, with comparisons to alternative GC-MS methods and extraction procedures.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
October 1, 1995
M E Alburges, R L Foltz, D E Moody
19 citations
A new method was developed to measure ibogaine and its active metabolite, 12-hydroxy-ibogamine, in human plasma. The assay uses a one-step extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, achieving accurate measurements from 10 to 1000 ng/mL. Ibogaine and its metabolite remained stable in plasma for at least one week at room temperature. The method provides a reliable tool for studying ibogaine's potential in treating addiction.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
September 17, 2021
Elba Arango, Allison Toriello, Zoila Rosario et al.
17 citations
Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic with expanding medical uses for pain and depression, continues to be misused as a recreational drug. A retrospective analysis of New York City driver fatalities (2003-2020) and suspected driving-under-the-influence-of-drugs (DUID) cases (2015-2020) found ketamine in 6 fatalities and 47 DUID cases. None of the fatalities involved misuse; all had hospital or EMS administration. Among DUID cases, ketamine was always non-medical, with an increasing trend over the six years. Most DUID cases were male (94%), aged 21–39 (85%), and predominantly Hispanic (36%) or Asian (34%). Blood concentrations varied widely (27 to >2000 ng/mL), and polydrug use was common, especially cannabinoids (38%) and ethanol (32%). A novel ketamine analog appeared in 2019. Ongoing monitoring by toxicological, clinical, and law enforcement communities is warranted.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
October 1, 1996
A. J. Mcnally, K. Goc-Szkutnicka, Z. Li et al.
17 citations
A new homogenous microparticle-based immunoassay (Abuscreen OnLine) detects LSD in human urine at a cutoff of 0.5 ng/mL, matching the sensitivity of the existing Abuscreen RIA. All 31 samples previously confirmed positive by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry also tested positive with both the OnLine and RIA assays. Among 1,000 presumed negative samples, 992 (99.2%) were negative; the 8 OnLine positives were negative by RIA. The assay shows greater than 35% cross-reactivity to nor-LSD and similar cross-reactivity to other related compounds as the RIA. Within-run precision was less than 2.5% and between-run precision less than 3.0%.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
January 21, 2020
Lidiane Silva Tavares, Fernanda Monedeiro, Dayanne Mozaner Bordin et al.
15 citations
Sweat can be used to detect the main active components of ayahuasca—harmine, harmaline, and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT)—during religious rituals. A solid-phase extraction method under basic conditions showed high selectivity and extraction efficiency above 70%, with accuracy between 87.5 and 102.4% and precision below 10%. Detection limits were 15 ng/patch for harmine and harmaline and 10 ng/patch for DMT. Sweat offers a non-invasive, simple collection alternative that does not disrupt rituals, making it a viable matrix for monitoring ayahuasca use.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
March 1, 2007
Lisa L Wilson, Ahmed Jehanli, C. W. Hand et al.
15 citations
A new lateral flow test (Cozart RapiScan System) detects MDMA and methamphetamine in oral fluid with high accuracy. Among 370 oral fluid samples, 121 screened positive. Using a 45 ng/mL screening cutoff and 30 ng/mL confirmation cutoff, sensitivity was 96.6%, specificity 96.8%, and accuracy 96.8%. The test also cross-reacts with high levels of amphetamine, causing six false positives. Applying a 50 ng/mL confirmation cutoff improved sensitivity to 98.3%, specificity to 96.9%, and accuracy to 97.3%. Confirmatory testing by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry identified multiple amphetamines.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
October 1, 1996
N. P. Cassells, Derek H. Craston, C. W. Hand et al.
15 citations
A new microplate enzyme immunoassay (EIA) detects lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in human urine by having LSD in the sample compete with immobilized LSD for binding to rabbit anti-LSD antibodies. The assay requires only 25 microliters of urine and three incubation periods at room temperature. It showed no cross-reaction with other drugs, including ergot alkaloids at up to 100,000 ng/mL, and only slight cross-reactivity with ergonovine (0.0008%). Nor-LSD cross-reacted between 16% and 28%. At a qualitative cutoff of 0.5 ng/mL, precision testing gave a coefficient of variation of 6%.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
September 1, 1990
Lee M. Blum, E F Carenzo, Fredric Rieders
15 citations
A high-performance thin-layer chromatography method can detect less than one microgram of LSD per liter of urine after a single-step extraction with an alkaline wash. The technique is compared with radioimmunoassay for measuring LSD in urine.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
April 1, 2007
Sandra Valtier, Clyde F. Phelix, John T. Cody
14 citations
After a single neurotoxic dose (20 mg/kg) of MDMA given to male Dark Agouti rats, the drug and three of its metabolites—MDA, HMMA, and HMA—appeared in urine at different peak times: MDMA at 4 hours, MDA at 8 hours, HMMA at 12 hours, and HMA at 16 hours. All four compounds remained detectable in urine for up to 168 hours (detection limit 25 ng/mL). In plasma, MDMA and MDA peaked at 2 hours, HMMA at 4 hours, and HMA at 24 hours, but with high variability at that time point. No MDMA or metabolites were detectable in plasma at 96 or 168 hours (detection limit 10 ng/mL).
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
May 1, 2003
B.t. Burnley, Stephen A. George
14 citations
A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method was developed to measure the 2-oxo-3-hydroxy metabolite of lysergic acid diethylamide in urine, with a detection limit of 0.5 ng/mL and quantitation limit of 1.0 ng/mL. The assay was linear from 0.5 to 50.0 ng/mL. Applied to 600 urine specimens from suspected LSD abusers in the West Midlands, U.K., only 25 screened positive by immunoassay, and 11 were confirmed by GC-MS. Concentrations in confirmed specimens ranged from 1.7 to 55.8 ng/mL. The method enables future audits of LSD abuse and helps distinguish drug misuse from organic disorders.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
June 11, 2024
Juliana Ribeiro Ibiapina Leitão Oliveira, Leonardo Costalonga Rodrigues, Júlia Martinelli Magalhães Kahl et al.
13 citations
A new analytical method using dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was developed to detect ketamine, its metabolites norketamine and 6-hydroxy-norketamine, and its analogues deschloroketamine and 2-fluorodeschloroketamine in oral fluid. The method showed linearity from 10 to 1,000 ng/mL, with detection and quantification limits at 10 ng/mL. Imprecision and bias were below 8.2% and 9.5%, respectively, and matrix effects did not exceed 10.6%. Recovery ranged from 24% to 42%. The method was applied to 29 authentic oral fluid samples and evaluated as environmentally friendly by three green chemistry metrics.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
May 20, 2022
Hannes M Schwelm, Nicole Zimmermann, Tobias Scholl et al.
13 citations
The poison of the Colorado River toad (Incilius alvarius) contains a variety of psychoactive tryptamines, with 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) as the main component at an average concentration of 410,000 μg per gram of poison. Using multiple analytical methods, researchers identified nine tryptamine compounds, including 5-MeO-tryptamine and two positional isomers of hydroxylated MeO-DMT detected for the first time in this species. Concentrations of other tryptamines such as bufotenin (2,800 μg/g), 5-MeO-tryptamine (490 μg/g), 5-HO-N-methyltryptamine (270 μg/g), and DMT (250 μg/g) varied considerably between individual toad samples. These comprehensive reference data may assist forensic chemists in analyzing toad venom samples.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
February 14, 2022
J M Matey, Adrián López-fernández, Carmen García-ruiz et al.
13 citations
Analyzing hair and other biological samples for drugs like methoxetamine requires highly selective and sensitive methods. Traditional target analysis using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry can be complex and less sensitive. Reanalyzing samples from a former case of a polydrug consumer in Spain, five metabolites of methoxetamine were tentatively detected using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HR-MS-MS). This method, combined with simpler pretreatment, allowed faster and more sensitive analysis than the traditional approach, demonstrating its utility for detecting low concentrations of new psychoactive substances.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
March 1, 2015
Rafaela Martin, Jennifer Schürenkamp, Angela Gasse et al.
13 citations
A method extracts the hallucinogens psilocin, bufotenine, LSD, and related compounds (iso-LSD, nor-LSD, O-H-LSD) from hair using hydrochloric acid and methanol. Clean-up uses solid-phase extraction with a mixed-mode cation exchanger, and measurement is by liquid chromatography with electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. The method was validated per the Society of Toxicological and Forensic Chemistry guidelines. Reference hair samples were created by soaking hair in a dimethyl sulfoxide/methanol solution of the analytes to allow incorporation; these fortified samples served for method development and as quality controls.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
June 1, 2006
K. L. Klette, A. R. Kettle, M. H. Jamerson
13 citations
Over four months, 85,658 urine specimens from applicants to the United States Armed Forces were screened for amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDA, MDMA, and MDEA using two immunoassays. The Roche Online Amphetamine immunoassay flagged 216 specimens as presumptively positive; 70 confirmed positive for amphetamine and 87 for amphetamine and/or methamphetamine, a 73% confirmation rate. The Microgenics DRI Ecstasy immunoassay flagged eight specimens; five confirmed positive for MDMA and/or MDA, a 63% confirmation rate. The overall prevalence of any of these drugs in military entrance processing stations specimens was 0.19%.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
April 1, 2002
Thomas Grobosch, U. Lemm-Ahlers
13 citations
Of 3872 urine specimens screened for LSD with the CEDIA DAU assay, 48 were initially positive, but only 13 (27%) were confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) after immunoaffinity extraction. The DPC Coat-a-Count RIA showed complete agreement with HPLC-FLD at concentrations below 500 pg/mL. Fifteen compounds—including ambroxol, diphenhydramine, amitriptyline, and lidocaine—were identified as causing false positives in the CEDIA assay. The IAE/HPLC-FLD method is rapid, reliable, and cost-effective for infrequent LSD analysis, and its chromatographic detection of LSD, nor-LSD, and iso-LSD is unaffected by these cross-reacting compounds even at 100 ng/mL.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
January 1, 1977
Daniel T. Teitelbaum, Dale C. Wingeleth
12 citations
A case of mescaline self-poisoning is described, with diagnosis and management based on clinical presentation and laboratory confirmation. The patient experienced severe hallucinations, agitation, and autonomic instability. Treatment involved supportive care, sedation, and gastric decontamination. The report emphasizes the importance of rapid identification and intervention in such poisonings.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
June 3, 2021
Lea Wagmann, Sascha K. Manier, Markus R Meyer
11 citations
A non-fatal clinical case involving the synthetic tryptamine 4-HO-MET (metocin or methylcybin) was analyzed using blood plasma. Liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS-MS) detected the parent compound and four metabolites—N-demethyl-, oxo-, hydroxy-4-HO-MET, and the N-oxide—while gas chromatography-mass spectrometry did not detect it. The plasma concentration of 4-HO-MET was 193 ng/mL. These findings provide data for clinical and forensic toxicologists interpreting future cases involving synthetic tryptamines, particularly when only blood samples are available.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
November 1, 2022
Nadine Theofel, Philipp Möller, Elke Vejmelka et al.
10 citations
A 21-year-old man was found unconscious in his bed with multiple controlled substances nearby, including opium poppy pods and designer drugs. Toxicological analysis of his blood and urine revealed lethal concentrations of the designer benzodiazepines flualprazolam (0.74 mg/L) and clonazolam (2.08 mg/L), along with high levels of opiates (thebaine 0.81 mg/L, codeine 0.23 mg/L, morphine 0.13 mg/L) and the synthetic cannabinoid CUMYL-4CN-BINACA (0.01 mg/L). The combination of these substances, especially the benzodiazepines, likely caused his death. The report also includes mass spectra of additional compounds found at the scene, such as several tryptamines, amphetamines, and arylcyclohexylamines.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
March 1, 2004
A. Miki, M. Katagi, N. Shima et al.
10 citations
A one-step immunoassay drug test originally designed for oral fluid can also screen for methamphetamine, MDMA, and MDEA in hair samples. Extracting a 10-milligram hair specimen with hydrochloric acid and methanol, then reconstituting the extract in water, allows the test to detect these drugs at limits of 0.5 ng/mg for methamphetamine, 0.8 ng/mg for MDMA, and 1.0 ng/mg for MDEA. Results match well with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry confirmation. While positive results require confirmation by a specific alternative method, this approach offers a simple, convenient screening tool for drug enforcement that uses only a small hair sample.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
March 21, 2023
Dimitri Gerostamoulos, Linda Glowacki, Maria Pricone et al.
9 citations
Over nine months, six deaths involved the combination of two new psychoactive substances: 4-fluoroamphetamine (4FA) and 25C-NBOMe. Four deaths were directly caused by the drugs' adverse effects, one resulted from a fall while intoxicated, and one occurred during restraint. In the four direct drug-caused fatalities, postmortem blood concentrations ranged from 330 to 682 ng/L for 4FA and 1.4 to 12 ng/mL for 25C-NBOMe. None of the cases showed concentrations suggesting high recreational doses. Other drugs were present in most cases, but the two substances together were considered the primary triggers. Agitation or aggression preceded collapse in two cases, and seizures possibly occurred in three.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
January 24, 2023
George Fai Wong, Wing-Man Lee, Chi-Keung Li
9 citations
A fast qualitative screening method for 11 abuse drugs in urine using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was developed. The drugs included methamphetamine, amphetamine, MDMA, MDA, PMMA, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, ketamine, deschloroketamine, 2-fluorodeschloroketamine, and deschloro-N-ethylketamine. A dual mode extraction column cleaned up the urine matrix. Detection limits were 3 ng/mL for most amphetamines, 10 ng/mL for ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, and 1 ng/mL for ketamine and its analogs. Matrix effects ranged from -12% to 7%. The method is suitable for forensic toxicology and analysis of drugs in sexual assault and other criminal cases.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
May 20, 2022
Caroline S Copeland, Simon Hudson, Ric Treble et al.
9 citations
The dissociative hallucinogen 3-MeO-PCP, a phencyclidine derivative, can cause severe psychological agitation and life-threatening cardiorespiratory effects. The United Nations classified it as a Schedule II substance in 2021. This report describes the first UK fatality solely attributable to 3-MeO-PCP intoxication, adding to 15 previous fatal cases worldwide. The authors note that blood concentrations associated with toxicity remain uncertain but provide detailed sample information to aid future interpretation. They suggest that exercise may worsen toxicity, cautioning against use as a club drug where elevated heart rate, body temperature, and blood pressure are likely.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
March 21, 2022
Ruben Goncalves, Nadege Castaing, Karine Titier et al.
9 citations
A 55-year-old man died at home after a chemsex party. Toxicological analysis found high concentrations of the dissociative anesthetic methoxphenidine (MXP) in his femoral blood (606 µg/L), cardiac blood (254 µg/L), and hair (13 ng/mg). Traces of 3-methylmethcathinone (3-MMC) were also detected. Other drug concentrations were consistent with living subjects. This case highlights the risk of MXP poisoning during chemsex and underscores the need to include new psychoactive substances in postmortem toxicology screening.