Biotransformation and detectability of the designer drug 2,5-dimethoxy-4-propylphenethylamine (2C-P) studied in urine by GC-MS, LC-MS(n), and LC-high-resolution-MS(n).

2C-P is a hallucinogenic designer drug from the phenethylamine class. This work identified its phase I and II metabolites and tested detectability in urine. Proposed metabolic pathways include N-acetylation, deamination with reduction to alcohol or oxidation to carbonic acid, mono- and bis-hydroxylation, mono- and bis-O-demethylation followed by glucuronidation or sulfation, and combinations. A common user's dose of 2C-P was reliably detectable in urine using standard GC-MS and LC-MS(n) screening methods, supporting its identification in clinical and forensic cases.

Study at a glance

Abstract

2,5-Dimethoxy-4-propylphenethylamine (2C-P) is a hallucinogenic designer drug of the phenethylamine class, the so-called 2Cs, named according to the ethyl spacer between the nitrogen and the aromatic ring. The aims of the present work were to identify the phases I and II metabolites of 2C-P. In addition, the detectability of 2C-P and its metabolites in urine as proof of an intake in clinical or forensic cases was tested. According to the identified metabolites, the following pathways were proposed: N-acetylation; deamination followed by reduction to the corresponding alcohol and oxidation to carbonic acid; mono- and bis-hydroxylation at different positions; mono- and bis-O-demethylation, followed by glucuronidation, sulfation, or both; and combination of these steps. Proof of an intake of a common user's dose of 2C-P was possible by both standard urine screening approaches, the GC-MS as well as the LC-MS(n) approach.