Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry
December 3, 2012
John M Corkery, Emma Durkin, Simon Elliott et al.
105 citations
5-MeO-DALT is a psychoactive tryptamine sold online as a 'research chemical' with little scientific study. A review of available knowledge and a first reported death involving the substance is described: a man in his mid-20s died in mid-2010 after being hit by a lorry while under the influence of 5-MeO-DALT, as concluded by the coroner. The authors call for documentation of other cases to build an evidence base.
Drug Testing and Analysis
November 4, 2013
Yan Ni Annie Soh, Simon Elliott
97 citations
Thirteen new psychoactive substances (NPS) were tested for stability in human blood and plasma stored at room temperature. Most remained stable for at least 21 days, but 4-MEC became undetectable in blood within 14 days and lost 54% in plasma, with a breakdown product (dihydro-4-MEC) also found in a real case sample. AMT produced several breakdown products that also appeared in vivo. The findings indicate that additional compounds observed in forensic casework are likely metabolites rather than instability products. This is the first published stability data for these emerging substances, and presumptive metabolites for 25C-NBOMe and AH-7921 are reported.
Drug Testing and Analysis
October 12, 2015
Simon D. Brandt, Pierce V. Kavanagh, Folker Westphal et al.
79 citations
1-Propionyl-d-lysergic acid diethylamide hemitartrate (1P-LSD), a non-controlled derivative of LSD, was characterized and tested for LSD-like effects. Using chromatographic, mass spectrometric, infrared, and nuclear magnetic resonance methods, the compound was compared to LSD. In male C57BL/6J mice, 1P-LSD produced a dose-dependent increase in head-twitch response (HTR) counts, a behavioral marker of 5-HT2A receptor activation. 1P-LSD had about 38% of the potency of LSD (ED50 = 349.6 nmol/kg vs. 132.8 nmol/kg for LSD). Pretreatment with the selective 5-HT2A receptor antagonist M100907 abolished the HTR, confirming that the response was mediated by 5-HT2A receptor activation. These results indicate 1P-LSD produces LSD-like effects in mice, consistent with classification as a serotonergic hallucinogen, though human psychoactive effects remain unknown.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
July 1, 2005
Simon Elliott
52 citations
MDMA and its metabolite MDA show postmortem redistribution, meaning concentrations measured after death are often higher than those taken just before death. In five hospital fatalities with both antemortem and postmortem blood samples, postmortem MDMA concentrations ranged from 0.47 to 28.39 mg/L compared to antemortem levels of 0.55 to 4.33 mg/L. Postmortem-to-antemortem ratios ranged from 1.1 to 6.6 for MDMA and 1.5 to 13.3 for MDA. Central sites like the heart had much higher concentrations than peripheral sites like the femoral vein. Thus, postmortem blood levels, even from peripheral sites, are not directly comparable to antemortem findings near death.
Drug Testing and Analysis
October 5, 2012
Simon Elliott, Simon D. Brandt, Sally Freeman et al.
36 citations
5-(2-Aminopropyl)indole (5-IT) and 3-(2-aminopropyl)indole (α-methyltryptamine, AMT) are isomeric substances that are difficult to differentiate under routine analytical conditions, especially without reference material. Subtle differences in mass spectral and UV conditions can facilitate their differentiation. Analyses included 1H and 13C NMR, GC-EI/CI ion trap MS, and several U/HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS methods. AMT was detected in a number of fatal intoxications, and there is a potential risk of misidentification when dealing with both substances.