Forensic Science International
December 1, 2001
Karine M. Clauwaert, Jan F. van Bocxlaer, A.p. de Leenheer
69 citations
The designer drugs MDA, MDMA, and MDEA remain stable in water and urine for 21 weeks when stored in the dark at -20, 4, or 20 degrees Celsius. In serum, stability lasts up to 17 weeks, and in whole blood up to 5 weeks, after which matrix degradation prevents analysis, especially in low-concentration samples stored at room temperature. Storage at -20 degrees Celsius preserves the compounds for 21 weeks even in haemolysed whole blood.
Clinical Chemistry
December 1, 2000
Karine M. Clauwaert, Jan F. van Bocxlaer, Els A. de Letter et al.
68 citations
A method using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection, confirmed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, accurately measures the designer drugs MDMA, MDEA, and their metabolite MDA in whole blood, serum, vitreous humor, and urine. The method is linear from 2 to 1000 μg/L for blood, serum, and vitreous humor, and from 0.1 to 5 mg/L for urine, with detection limits as low as 0.8 μg/L. Extraction recoveries exceed 70%, and imprecision ranges from 2.5% to 19%. In a rabbit thanatochemical distribution study, serum MDMA concentrations ranged from 5.3 to 685 μg/L, and whole blood MDMA from 19.7 to 710 μg/L. For routine toxicology urine samples, MDMA concentrations reached up to 157 mg/L.
Journal of Analytical Toxicology
March 1, 2002
Els A. de Letter, Karine M. Clauwaert, Willy E. Lambert et al.
47 citations
In a fatal overdose of MDMA (ecstasy) and its metabolite MDA, concentrations varied widely across different body sites. Central blood samples (heart and great vessels) showed different levels than peripheral blood (subclavian and femoral). High levels were found in liver, lungs, and kidneys, while vitreous humor also contained MDMA, suggesting it could be used when blood is unavailable. The findings confirm that peripheral vein blood is best for accurate measurement, and that postmortem redistribution must be considered when interpreting toxicology results from other sites.