Metabolites to parent 3-MeO-PCP ratio in human urine collected in two fatal cases.
Journal of analytical toxicology May 1, 2019 Alice Ameline, Hugues Greney, Laurent Monassier et al.
Two fatal overdoses involving the dissociative drug 3-methoxyphencyclidine (3-MeO-PCP) are described. The compound, a new psychoactive substance in the phencyclidine family, has been proposed as a legal alternative to phencyclidine in some countries. Using mass spectrometry, the authors detected 3-MeO-PCP and its metabolites in human urine. In vitro metabolism studies with human liver microsomes identified four metabolites: O-demethyl-3-MeO-PCP, piperidine-hydroxy-3-MeO-PCP, O-demethyl-piperidine-di-hydroxy-3-MeO-PCP, and piperidine-di-hydroxy-3-MeO-PCP. All were found in the urine of both cases. The ratio of each metabolite to parent 3-MeO-PCP was always less than 1, indicating that testing for metabolites does not extend the detection window for the drug.