A new method using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was developed to screen and quantify seven 2C-series designer drugs (2C-D, 2C-E, 2C-P, 2C-B, 2C-I, 2C-T-2, 2C-T-7) and mescaline in human blood plasma. The method involves solid-phase extraction and derivatization, and was validated per international guidelines. Validation for 2C-T-2 and 2C-T-7 was unacceptable; for the other analytes, the method was linear from 5 to 500 microg/L with accuracy and precision within acceptable limits. This addresses the scarcity of data on analyzing these substances in blood or plasma.
The designer drug 2C-I is metabolized in rats through O-demethylation, deamination, oxidation, and reduction pathways, producing multiple metabolites that are partly excreted in conjugated form. A systematic toxicological analysis using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry after acid hydrolysis, liquid-liquid extraction, and microwave-assisted acetylation reliably detected a dose of 2C-I in rat urine equivalent to a common human drug user's dose. Assuming similar metabolism in humans, this detection method should be suitable for proving 2C-I intake in human urine.