Wastewater-based epidemiology can track community drug use, but biomarkers are often diluted. Pooled urine and urinated soil from festivals were screened for illicit drug excretion products. Cocaine and ecstasy-like compounds were most frequent. A method was developed to quantify their excretion products. Hydroxymethoxymethamphetamine (HMMA), MDMA, MDA, HMMA sulfate, benzoylecgonine, and cocaethylene retained 85–102% of initial concentration after 8 hours, while cocaine and ecgonine methyl ester dropped to 74% and 67%, respectively. HMMA increased over 24 hours, likely from conjugate cleavage and MDMA biotransformation. HMMA is suggested as a stable analytical target for MDMA consumption in wastewater.
Bromo-dragonfly, a potent and long-acting hallucinogen linked to severe vasoconstriction and fatal intoxications, was not metabolized in human liver microsomes, cytosol, or recombinant enzyme systems, unlike its analogue 2C-B-fly, which underwent monohydroxylation and N-acetylation via CYP2D6 and MAO-A. Bromo-dragonfly competitively inhibited monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) with a Ki of 0.352 μM, and its IC50 suggested clinically relevant MAO-A inhibition, though further data are needed to assess its impact on serotonin levels in the body. Protein binding and pharmacokinetic parameters were also investigated.