Journal of Chromatography B
March 2, 2022
Shuo Yang, Yan Shi, Zhuonan Chen et al.
13 citations
A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed to detect and measure mescaline in hair. The method showed good linearity from 10 to 1000 pg/mg, with a detection limit of 3 pg/mg and quantification limit of 10 pg/mg. Total analysis time was 5 minutes. The method was applied to 19 real forensic cases, finding mescaline concentrations in hair ranging from 10 to 784 pg/mg. Mescaline, a psychedelic alkaloid from the peyote cactus, is a class I psychotropic drug in China, and this method is suitable for large-scale surveillance of mescaline abuse in forensic toxicology.
Frontiers in Plant Science
February 10, 2023
Jiaman Lin, Shuo Yang, Jiaojiao Ji et al.
8 citations
Mescaline, the hallucinogenic compound found in certain cacti such as Trichocereus pachanoi and Lophophora williamsii, is not distributed uniformly in natural plants. Using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging, the spatial distribution of mescaline was mapped at macroscopic, tissue, and cellular levels. In natural plants, mescaline concentrated in active meristems, epidermal tissues, and protruding parts. Artificially spiked Lophophora diffusa products showed no such topographic difference, allowing natural and artificial products to be distinguished. The overlap of mescaline distribution with vascular bundles supported the known synthesis and transport theory of mescaline, suggesting the technique's potential for botanical research.
Forensic sciences research
June 1, 2023
Jiaman Lin, Keming Yun, Qiran Sun et al.
2 citations
Mescaline is concentrated in the epidermal tissues and the meristematic tissues of the crown of Lophophora williamsii (peyote), as shown by a validated MALDI mass spectrometry imaging method. Low-temperature storage at -80°C, drying of flower samples, and cutting 40 μm thick sections at -20°C using gelatin as embedding medium are appropriate preparation conditions. Using DCTB as an auxiliary matrix and a laser intensity of 45 are favorable parameters for mescaline analysis. These findings provide a basis for determining the best sampling locations for mescaline in peyote and offer a reference for optimizing storage and preparation conditions for raw plant organs before MALDI detection.