Metabolic profiling of deschloro-N-ethyl-ketamine and identification of new target metabolites in urine and hair using human liver microsomes and high-resolution accurate mass spectrometry.
Drug testing and analysis June 1, 2021 Islam Amine Larabi, Fanny Zerizer, Alice Ameline et al. 23 citations
A new ketamine analogue, deschloro-N-ethyl-ketamine (O-PCE), involved in severe intoxications and deaths, was metabolically profiled for the first time. After incubating O-PCE with human liver microsomes and analyzing urine and hair from a 43-year-old male user using high-resolution mass spectrometry, 15 metabolites were identified. Nine metabolites detected in urine extended the detection window after O-PCE itself was no longer present. The five most abundant urinary markers were 2-en-PCA-N-Glu (34%), M3 (16%), O-PCA-N-Glu (15.4%), OH-O-PCE (15%), and OH-PCE (11.9%). In hair, nine metabolites appeared; OH-PCA dominated (78%) with a metabolite-to-parent-drug ratio of 6, making it the best marker for long-term monitoring of O-PCE exposure.