Rapid Detection and Quantification of Hallucinogenic Salvinorin A in Commercial Salvia divinorum Products by DART-HRMS.
ACS omega – January 10, 2023
Source: PubMed
Summary
Enhanced Salvia products contain dramatically higher levels of the psychoactive compound salvinorin A than raw leaves, prompting the development of a swift method to identify and measure this substance. A novel approach using direct analysis mass spectrometry successfully bypassed lengthy sample preparation. This method rapidly screened plant material and accurately quantified salvinorin A. Raw Salvia leaves averaged 1.54 mg/g, while enhanced extracts contained 13.0 to 53.2 mg/g, revealing potent concentrations. This rapid, direct analysis offers a powerful tool for assessing psychoactive plant materials.
Abstract
In recent years, national laboratories have identified several plant-derived materials as concerns to public health because of their psychoactive effects, potential for abuse, and the lack of federal regulation of their use. One of these is Salvia divinorum (aka Salvia), which has received focused attention due to its increasing recreational use and the ease by which it can be acquired. Traditional chromatographic approaches for the detection of the major psychoactive component of Salvia (i.e., salvinorin A) typically require time-consuming sample pretreatment prior to identifying the presence of salvinorin A in plant material unknowns. In this study, direct analysis in real time-high-resolution mass spectrometry (DART-HRMS) was used to rapidly screen for Salvia plant material. This approach facilitated the analysis of bulk material in its native form, thereby bypassing sample pretreatment steps. In addition, a validated DART-HRMS method was developed for the quantification of salvinorin A in commercial Salvia products (e.g., raw plant materials, enhanced leaf extracts). In this regard, cholesterol was found to be a suitable internal standard. The average salvinorin A content in raw Salvia leaves was determined to be 1.54 mg/g, while the salvinorin A quantified in enhanced Salvia leaf extracts was between 13.0 and 53.2 mg/g.