Study of the in vitro and in vivo metabolism of 4-HO-MET
Forensic Science International July 4, 2018 Pia Simona Bruni, Katharina Elisabeth Grafinger, Susanne Nussbaumer et al. 13 citations
4-Hydroxy-N-methyl-N-ethyltryptamine (4-HO-MET), a new psychoactive substance structurally similar to serotonin, is a serotonergic hallucinogen. To enable forensic urine analysis, its biotransformation was studied using pooled human liver microsomes and three authentic urine samples. Twelve different in vitro and four in vivo metabolites were identified. In vitro, major biotransformation steps included mono- or dihydroxylation, demethylation, demethylation with monohydroxylation, carboxylic acid formation, deethylation, and oxidative deamination. In vivo, monohydroxylation and glucuronidation were observed. A metabolic pathway was proposed. For forensic urine analysis, the N-oxide metabolite, HO-alkyl metabolite, glucuronides of 4-HO-MET, and the parent compound are recommended as target compounds.