Journal of forensic sciences
November 1, 2013
Cédric Mazoyer, Jérémy Carlier, Alexandra Boucher et al.
26 citations
A man died twelve hours after ingesting powdered iboga root, a substance taken for its stimulant and hallucinogenic effects. Ibogaine and ibogamine were measured in the powder and the victim's body fluids using gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Ibogaine concentrations in blood samples taken at the scene, peripheral blood, urine, and gastric fluid were 0.65, 1.27, 1.7, and 53.5 μg/mL, respectively; the powder contained 7.2% iboga. Diazepam and methadone were also present at therapeutic concentrations. Death was attributed to ingestion of a substantial quantity of iboga combined with methadone and diazepam.
Metabolites
July 29, 2022
Sara Malaca, Marilyn A. Huestis, Leonardo Lattanzio et al.
8 citations
Synthetic tryptamines like 4-AcO-DiPT are increasingly involved in intoxications and fatalities yet remain unregulated in many countries, with little known about how the body processes them. Using human liver cells and high-resolution mass spectrometry, researchers identified six metabolites formed after three hours of incubation. The main transformation was ester hydrolysis to 4-OH-DiPT, followed by glucuronidation, sulfation, N-oxidation, and N-dealkylation. The most abundant second-generation metabolites were 4-OH-iPT-sulfate and 4-OH-DiPT-glucuronide. The authors suggest that 4-OH-DiPT, 4-OH-iPT, and 4-OH-DiPT-N-oxide are the best biomarkers to detect 4-AcO-DiPT consumption.
Metabolites
January 6, 2023
Sara Malaca, Charline Bottinelli, Laurent Fanton et al.
6 citations
α-Methyltryptamine (α-MT) is a hallucinogenic and stimulant drug linked to overdose deaths. To identify biomarkers proving its use, metabolites were analyzed in lab-grown human liver cells and in urine and blood from a fatal overdose case. Nine metabolites formed in liver cells, with eight more in urine and five in blood. Transformations included hydroxylation, sulfation, glucuronidation, and acetylation. The liver cell model matched real samples, confirming its usefulness. Recommended urine biomarkers are α-MT, hydroxy-α-MT glucuronide, and two hydroxy-α-MT sulfates; blood biomarkers are α-MT, two hydroxy-α-MT sulfates, and N-acetyl-α-MT. More studies with varied doses are needed.
Annales de Toxicologie Analytique
January 1, 2012
Cédric Mazoyer, Jérémy Carlier, Michel Péoc’h et al.
2 citations
A 27-year-old man with a history of drug addiction died about twelve hours after ingesting powdered iboga root during a detoxification program. The main alkaloids ibogaine and ibogamine were measured in the powder and in biological fluids collected at the scene and during autopsy. Concentrations in peripheral blood taken at the scene, peripheral blood from autopsy, urine, and gastric fluid ranged from 0.65 to 53.5 µg/mL for ibogaine and 0.05 to 4.34 µg/mL for ibogamine. The powder contained 7.2% ibogaine and 0.6% ibogamine. Additional toxicological tests revealed concurrent use of diazepam and methadone, supporting the conclusion that death resulted from a mixed overdose with ibogaine as the primary toxic agent.