Salvia divinorum: toxicological aspects and analysis in human biological specimens.
Cláudia Margalho, Francisco Corte Real, Manuel López-rivadulla, Eugenia Gallardo
Bioanalysis July 1, 2016 DOI: 10.4155/bio-2016-0067 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Salvia divinorum |
| Keywords | Analytical methodologies |
| Key findings | Alternative biological matrices can be useful for determining prior exposure to salvinorin A when blood or urine cannot be collected. |
Abstract
The identification and quantitation of the main psychoactive component of Salvia divinorum (salvinorin A) in biological specimens are crucial in forensic and clinical toxicology. Despite all the efforts made, its uncontrolled abuse has increased quickly, exposing its users' health to serious risks both in the short and long term. The use of alternative biological matrices in toxicological analyzes can be advantageous as complementary postmortem samples, or in situations when neither blood nor urine can be collected; they may be useful tools in those determinations, providing important information about prior exposure. The aim of this article is to present a brief summary of legal aspects of Salvia divinorum and salvinorin A, including the methods used for the determination of the latter in biological matrices.