Journal of analytical toxicology
September 1, 2011
Sarah Kerrigan, Monica Brady Mellon, Stephanie Banuelos et al.
32 citations
Nine commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) used for routine drug screening fail to detect most psychedelic phenethylamines of the 2C, 2C-T, and DO series. Cross-reactivity for 10 of 11 tested designer drugs was below 0.4%, and even concentrations up to 50,000 ng/mL in urine—far above typical forensic levels—did not trigger a positive result. Only 4-methylthioamphetamine (4-MTA) showed measurable cross-reactivity, ranging from 5% to 200% depending on the assay. Laboratories relying solely on immunoassay screening may therefore miss these powerful psychedelic substances, whereas broad-spectrum chromatographic techniques can detect them.
Journal of forensic sciences
January 1, 2014
Sarah Kerrigan, Ashley Mott, Breanna Jatzlau et al.
20 citations
A new laboratory method using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) can detect 15 designer psychostimulants in urine at very low concentrations. The drugs include various 2C-phenethylamines, DOx amphetamines, and 4-MTA. Using solid-phase extraction, analytical recoveries ranged from 64% to 92%, and the limit of detection was 0.5 ng/mL for all drugs except 2C-B (1 ng/mL). The technique was evaluated for recovery, precision, accuracy, linearity, matrix effects, and interferences, enabling simultaneous detection of these substances at sub-ng/mL levels. Many such drugs are not targeted in routine toxicology testing and thus go unreported.
Journal of analytical toxicology
September 1, 2011
Sarah Kerrigan, Stephanie Banuelos, Laura Perrella et al.
19 citations
A gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method was developed to detect ten psychedelic phenethylamines (2C-B, 2C-H, 2C-I, 2C-T-2, 2C-T-7, 4-MTA, DOB, DOET, DOI, and DOM) in urine. After solid-phase extraction, limits of detection ranged from 2 to 10 ng/mL, and limits of quantitation were 10 ng/mL or less. Precision at 50 and 500 ng/mL gave coefficients of variation of 0.4–7.9%, and accuracy was 91–116%. Calibration curves were linear up to 1500 ng/mL. No carryover occurred at 5000 ng/mL, and no interferences from related compounds or endogenous bases were observed.
Clinical Chemistry
May 1, 1998
Sarah Kerrigan, Donald E Brooks
6 citations
A new antibody targeting LSD enabled the development of an indirect ELISA that measures LSD in urine with better performance than a commercial assay. The test uses 50 μL of urine and detects concentrations from ng/L to μg/L. The limit of detection is 8 ng/L, compared to 85 ng/L for the commercial assay, and analytical recoveries range from 98–106%. At 0.1 μg/L, the intraassay coefficient of variation (CV) was 2.4% (n=8), versus 6.0% at 0.5 μg/L for the commercial assay (n=20). The upper and lower quantification limits are 7 μg/L and 50 ng/L. Cross-reactivity with 24 related substances was evaluated. The new assay offers improved sensitivity and precision, enabling more certain quantitative estimation of LSD in urine at lower concentrations.
Bioconjugate Chemistry
January 1, 1998
Sarah Kerrigan, Donald. E. Brooks
3 citations
A photoreactive linker was used to attach lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to a carrier protein, keyhole limpet hemocyanin, at multiple sites on the drug. About 35 drug molecules were attached per protein when equal amounts of both were used. Reaction efficiency was severely reduced by buffer components or water. Excess linker, pH, irradiation of the dry matrix without buffer, and the drug-to-protein ratio during photolysis strongly affected efficiency. Antibody specificity data suggested that the drug attached to the protein at positions N1 and N6 of LSD, consistent with the reactivity of the photogenerated aryl nitrene.