Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
April 15, 2009
Kristian Björnstad, Olof Beck, Anders Helander
71 citations
A liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed to detect ten plant-derived psychoactive substances in urine simultaneously. The method uses direct injection of diluted urine with three deuterated internal standards, achieving separation in 14 minutes. Calibration curves were linear with correlation coefficients above 0.999. Imprecision at high (1000 micrograms per liter) and low (50 micrograms per liter) concentrations ranged from 4.9% to 13.8% and 8.3% to 26%, respectively. Ion suppression effects were limited. The method proved useful for investigating authentic intoxication cases and covered clinically relevant concentration ranges.
Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
October 2, 2006
Denis S Theobald, Hans H Maurer
42 citations
The designer drug 2C-E is metabolized in rats through several pathways: O-demethylation, N-acetylation, hydroxylation of the ethyl side chain, oxidation to ketones or acids, and deamination followed by reduction to alcohols. Most metabolites are excreted in conjugated form. A systematic toxicological analysis using full-scan GC-MS detected intake of a dose corresponding to a common drug users' dose in rat urine. Assuming similar metabolism in humans, the procedure should be suitable for proving 2C-E intake in human urine.
Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
June 1, 2007
Maria Nieddu, Gianpiero Boatto, Giuseppina Dessì
39 citations
A method using capillary electrophoresis coupled to electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (CE-ESI-MS) was developed to screen for and quantify three designer drugs—DOM, DOET, and DOPR—in urine samples. A simple solid-phase extraction step cleaned up samples before analysis. The method was validated per international guidelines, with accuracy and precision meeting required limits. Calibration curves from 10 to 1000 ng/mL showed correlation coefficients above 0.996.
Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
February 1, 2007
Denis S Theobald, Giselher Fritschi, Hans H Maurer
37 citations
The designer drug 2C-B is extensively metabolized and excreted mainly as metabolites in urine. In rats, a systematic toxicological analysis using full-scan GC-MS detected the O-demethyl deaminohydroxy metabolite and two isomers of the O-demethyl metabolite after a common drug abuser's dose. The authors suggest that, assuming similar metabolism in humans, this procedure should be suitable for proving 2C-B intake in human urine.
Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
August 15, 2007
Ruri Kikura-Hanajiri, Maiko Kawamura, Kazuhiro Saisho et al.
35 citations
In an animal model, the incorporation of methylone and other designer drugs into hair was measured and compared with related compounds. Methylone's hair-to-plasma concentration ratio was 14 times higher than methcathinone's, supporting earlier findings that a methylenedioxy group on the benzene ring increases incorporation. However, methylone's ratio was five-sevenths that of MDMA, suggesting a beta-carbonyl group lowers incorporation. MBDB, with a methylenedioxyphenyl-2-butanamine structure, had a higher ratio than MDMA, while methcathinone's ratio was extremely low. The authors conclude that methylone and MBDB, like methamphetamine and MDMA, have relatively high incorporation into hair, making hair samples useful for confirming retrospective use of these drugs.
Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
March 24, 2017
Linda Vårdal, Hilde-Merete Askildsen, Astrid Gjelstad et al.
34 citations
Parallel artificial liquid membrane extraction (PALME) combined with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry can screen for new psychoactive substances (NPS) in plasma and whole blood. Eleven NPS, including MDAI, methylone, and MDPV, were extracted from alkalized donor solutions across an organic liquid membrane into an acidic acceptor solution using a pH gradient. For plasma, the donor solution contained 125 µL plasma, 115 µL 40 mM NaOH, and 10 µL internal standard; for whole blood, it contained 100 µL blood, 50 µL water, 75 µL 80 mM NaOH, and 25 µL internal standard. Extraction used 5 µL dodecyl acetate with 1% trioctylamine as the membrane and 50 µL 20 mM formic acid as the acceptor, agitated at 900 rpm for 120 minutes. Validation met FDA guidelines.
Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
May 1, 2016
Cláudia Margalho, Alice Castanheira, Francisco Corte Real et al.
33 citations
A validated analytical method using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with microwave fast derivatization can detect and quantify 14 psychoactive substances—including synthetic cathinones and phenethylamines—in low volumes of vitreous humor, pericardial fluid, and whole blood. The method showed linear results between 5 and 600 ng/mL, with high precision and accuracy, and extraction efficiencies ranging from 76.6% to 112.8%. It was successfully applied to authentic forensic samples in Portugal.
Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
November 25, 2004
Helena Carmo, Douwe De Boer, Fernando Remião et al.
32 citations
The psychoactive drug 2C-B, sold as 'Ecstasy', is metabolized in mice, producing several metabolites detectable in urine by GC/MS. Unchanged 2C-B and these metabolites were identified, providing data that may help understand the drug's biological and toxicological effects and aid forensic analysis of samples from human abusers.
Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
December 25, 2003
Li-Chan Lin, Ju-Tsung Liu, Shiu-Huey Chou et al.
29 citations
A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method identified four metabolites of the psychoactive compound 2C-T-2 in rat urine after a single 20 mg/kg dose. The metabolites included 2-(4-ethylthio-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-ethanol, 4-ethylthio-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl acetic acid, and two isomeric acetamido metabolites. Based on these findings, a metabolic pathway for 2C-T-2 in rats is proposed.
Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
November 7, 2006
Violeta Kontrimaviciūte, Hélène Breton, Olivier Mathieu et al.
27 citations
A new laboratory method using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry was developed to measure ibogaine and noribogaine in human plasma and whole blood. The method extracts the compounds from samples, separates them on a column, and detects them by their mass-to-charge ratios. It accurately quantifies ibogaine and noribogaine across a range of concentrations, with high precision and recovery. The drugs remain stable in frozen plasma for at least one year and in blood for up to two months at -20 degrees Celsius. The method was successfully applied to analyze a poisoning case involving Tabernanthe iboga root.
Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
December 15, 2022
Dino Luethi, Karolina E Kolaczynska, Severin B Vogt et al.
24 citations
A new LC-MS/MS method accurately measures the psychedelic compound DMT and its major metabolites IAA and DMT-NO in human plasma. The assay uses a simple protein precipitation step, a pentafluorophenyl column for separation, and detects analytes via mass spectrometry. Calibration ranges cover 0.25–250 ng/mL for DMT, 0.1–100 ng/mL for DMT-NO, and 25–25,000 ng/mL for IAA (using a labeled internal standard to account for endogenous IAA). Accuracy ranged from 93% to 113% with precision ≤11%. The method successfully determined pharmacokinetic parameters in participants receiving a 90-minute intravenous infusion of 1 mg/min DMT. It is easy to use, has a short run time, and is suitable for clinical DMT pharmacokinetic and metabolism studies.
Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
November 25, 2004
Yu-Chih Chiu, Shiu-Huey Chou, Ju-Tsung Liu et al.
18 citations
Oral administration of 2,5-dimethoxy-4-ethylthiophenethylamine (2C-T-2) to mice decreased nitric oxide (NO) production by T and B lymphocytes in the spleen and T cells in the thymus, suggesting the drug may weaken immune defense functions. In rats, the parent drug was detected in urine using capillary electrophoresis with UV absorbance. Without sample concentration, detection limits were 4.5 and 5.0 μg/mL; with stacking and sweeping-micellar electrokinetic chromatography, limits improved to 19.2 and 9.1 ng/mL. After intra-peritoneal injection of 20 μg/g body weight in three male rats, 2.9 μg/mL and 0.25 μg/mL of 2C-T-2 were found in first- and second-day urine fractions.
Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
October 1, 2008
Jun Zhe Min, Yoshiha Shimizu, Toshimasa Toyo'Oka et al.
17 citations
A new method using ultra-fast liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (UFLC-FL) was developed to simultaneously identify and measure 11 phenethylamine-type drugs. The drugs were chemically labeled and separated on a specialized column, with detection limits ranging from 10 femtomoles to 2.5 picomoles. The method showed good accuracy and precision. When applied to real products from the Japanese market, it identified and quantified BDB (0.24 mg/mg), MMDA-2 (0.98 mg/mL), and 2C-I (0.016 mg/mg) in powder, liquid, and mushroom-like samples. The procedure is simple, selective, and sensitive, making it useful for analyzing these designated drugs in various samples, including biological specimens.
Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
May 1, 2024
Dino Luethi, Deborah Rudin, Isabelle Straumann et al.
6 citations
Two bioanalytical methods—achiral and enantioselective—were developed and validated to measure MDMA and its metabolite MDA in human plasma. Both methods met regulatory guidelines for accuracy, precision, selectivity, and sensitivity over calibration ranges of 0.5–500 ng/mL (achiral) and 0.5–1,000 ng/mL (chiral). The enantioselective method reliably quantified individual enantiomers in racemic samples, and racemic calibrations accurately measured single-enantiomer samples. Pharmacokinetic parameters from clinical participants treated with racemic MDMA or a single enantiomer were comparable between methods. Because MDMA and MDA do not undergo chiral inversion, enantioselective separation is unnecessary when only one enantiomer is administered.
Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
July 14, 2025
Juhyun Sim, So Young Kyung, Jiyeong Jo et al.
4 citations
A rapid, solvent-free method using headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was developed to simultaneously detect methamphetamine, MDMA, ketamine, and their metabolites in urine. Validation showed excellent linearity and acceptable detection limits. Analysis of 95 authentic urine samples revealed widespread polydrug use: 32 of 72 MDMA- or ketamine-positive cases tested positive for both substances. The metabolite-to-parent drug ratio indicated faster metabolism of ketamine compared to the other drugs. The method provides a reliable, high-throughput approach for forensic urine analysis. The findings highlight the prevalence of MDMA-ketamine co-ingestion in South Korea's club scene and emphasize the need for improved monitoring of polydrug abuse.
Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
August 1, 2025
Yue Xiao, Shuai Yuan, Ruxin Luo et al.
3 citations
A high-throughput screening method using direct injection was developed to detect 311 new psychoactive substances (NPS) and their metabolites in wastewater, covering synthetic cannabinoids, cathinones, phenylethylamines, tryptamines, phencyclidines, benzodiazepines, fentanyls, and piperazines. The method runs in 16 minutes, with 95.8% of targets having a limit of detection at or below 10 ng/L and recoveries between 71.01% and 119.88%. Applied to 976 real samples from a Chinese city, it identified 32 substances, with ketamine detected most frequently. This approach offers a simple analytical tool for wastewater monitoring to support early warning and assessment of drug trends.
Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
June 1, 2025
Natalie Paškanová, Magdaléna Vágnerová, Bronislav Jurásek et al.
1 citation
Methoxphenidine (MXP), a dissociative anaesthetic derivative, is increasingly abused, but forensic and clinical data on its metabolism and enantiomers are limited. Researchers developed and validated achiral LC-MS/MS and chiral SFC-MS methods to quantify MXP and its primary metabolite, O-desmethyl-methoxphenidine (dmMXP), in rat serum and brain after a single subcutaneous dose of racemic MXP. Serum MXP peaked at 1600 ng/mL at 0.5 hours and decreased to 5.87 ng/mL at 24 hours; brain MXP peaked at 13200 ng/g at 0.5 hours and fell to 36.1 ng/g at 24 hours. (S)-MXP concentrations in brain appeared higher than (R)-enantiomer concentrations. The methods enable pharmacokinetic studies and provide tools for forensic and clinical toxicology.
Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
February 1, 2025
Zixuan Song, Zhenshuo Guo, Yiling Tang et al.
1 citation
A new high-throughput screening method using gas chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) identifies 30 phencyclidine analogs in human blood and urine. After a simple extraction with ethyl ether and buffer, analytes are identified using a self-built library and reference spectra; isomers are differentiated by exact molecular mass and retention time. The method shows no interferences, recovery ranges from 30% to 123%, and detection limits from 0.05 to 5 ng/mL. Applied to 800 authentic forensic cases, it detected four analogs—2-F-2-oxo-PCE, 3-MeO-PCE, O-PCE, and 2-FDCK—demonstrating suitability for sensitive, fast high-throughput drug screening.