Institute of Public Health, Section of Legal Medicine, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy L.go F. Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy. Electronic address: sabina.stranorossi@unicatt.it.
2 papers in the library · 121 citations · publishing 2016-2021
Between 2013 and 2015, 162 seizures of substances purchased online and confiscated by Italian police were analyzed. The most common substances were 3-MMC (22% of seizures) and 4-MEC (20%), followed by MDPV (12%). Other identified drugs included various cathinones, tryptamines, and diphenidine, which was detected for the first time in Europe. Only three seizures contained synthetic cannabinoids. Some mixtures contained multiple NPS, and in nine cases tablets also contained sildenafil. The findings indicate a wide influx of NPS into Italy from abroad, posing a public health threat, especially when contents are mislabeled or unreported.
Three novel ketamine analogues—methoxpropamine, 2-fluoro-deschloroketamine, and deschloroketamine—were identified in post-mortem blood and hair samples from a suicide by fall from height, using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). The analysis also detected several of their metabolites. These substances belong to the β-keto-arylcyclohexamine class of new psychoactive substances (NPS), which are often sold as 'research chemicals' and may be consumed unintentionally by buyers unaware of product contents. The work provides analytical methods for detecting these compounds and their metabolites, offering a foundation for studying their toxicokinetics.