Journal of analytical toxicology
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Drugs derived from amphetamine, methamphetamine and their methylenedioxy- analogues, although being sold as plant food or bath salts, are being used as legal alternatives to scheduled amphetamine stimulants. These products often contain methylone, mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV)--three amphetamine derivatives shown to have strong pharmacological effects. Four postmortem cases were analyzed for methylone, mephedrone and MDPV, with drug levels quantitated in multiple biological matrices. ⋯ Two cases also had MDPV present, but insufficient data were collected to formulate a hypothesis on postmortem sequestration or redistribution. Two different extraction methods, as well as analysis of derivatized and underivatized methylone, show that the drug is suitable for analysis in either method. The cases are believed to show one instance of chronic methylone use, with a urine concentration of 38 mg/L.
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Various "legal high" products were tested for synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic stimulants to qualitatively determine the active ingredient(s). Ultra-performance liquid chromatography with accurate mass time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-TOF) was used to monitor the non-biological specimens utilizing a customized panel of 65+ compounds comprised of synthetic cannabinoids, synthetic stimulants and other related drugs. Over the past year, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency has controlled five synthetic cannabinoid compounds (JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-200, CP-47,497 and CP-47,497-C8) and three synthetic stimulant compounds (3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone, mephedrone and methylone) that were previously reported to be detected in these legal high products. ⋯ Since enactment of the federal bans on synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic stimulants, 4.9% of the products analyzed at our facility contained at least one controlled substance. The remaining 95.1% of products contained only uncontrolled drugs. We demonstrate the UPLC-TOF methodology to be a powerful tool in the qualitative identification of these designer drugs, thus enabling a laboratory to keep current with the drugs that are being sold as these designer products.