Toxics
February 3, 2023
Luis Alberto Henríquez‐hernández, Jaime Rojas‐hernández, Domingo Jesús Quintana Hernández et al.
21 citations
Psychedelics are being studied for clinical use, but their potential for harm at different doses remains uncertain. This review of 33 relevant studies found that psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin are effective at very low doses, are not addictive, and are harmful only at extremely high doses, with no established lethal dose for humans. MDMA appears to be the most dangerous, though reports are biased by recreational misuse. The authors conclude that for psychedelics, it is not only the dose but also the user's mindset and environment that determine risk.
Toxics
April 17, 2023
Michal Ordak, Aleksandra Galazka, Tadeusz Nasierowski et al.
14 citations
A new trend of consuming Amanita muscaria is analyzed through social media comments. Among 684 people, women mainly used the mushroom to reduce pain and skin problems, while men used it to relieve stress, depressive symptoms, and insomnia. Women predominantly consumed tinctures, whereas men used dried forms. Side effects differed by gender: women reported headaches, men reported nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and drowsiness. The authors call for advanced research to raise awareness of the fungus's toxicity.
Toxics
July 15, 2021
José Manuel Matey, Adrián López-fernández, Carmen García-ruiz et al.
7 citations
A reanalysis of hair from a former polydrug consumer, charged with a crime against public health in Spain, positively detected and identified 2C-B, a new psychoactive substance. Using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS/MS) with a universal and simpler pretreatment method, the technique enabled selective detection of 2C-B at very low concentrations. The approach demonstrates that advanced analytical methods can identify emerging hallucinogens like 2C-B in forensic hair samples, expanding possibilities for detecting substances of different chemical structures.
Toxics
January 24, 2025
Yin Tang, Kang Yang, Jintao Xu et al.
5 citations
Ketamine exposure significantly reduces locomotor activity in juvenile zebrafish, with stronger effects at higher concentrations. Using a high-throughput behavior tracking system, researchers analyzed the movement of 6-day post-fertilization zebrafish exposed to various ketamine concentrations. The study also detected normethketamine, ketamine's primary metabolite, via UPLC-LTQ/Orbitrap HRMS, confirming that zebrafish can metabolize the drug. This integration of behavioral and metabolic profiling demonstrates zebrafish as a useful model for understanding ketamine's neurotoxic and metabolic effects, which may inform research in other vertebrates.
Toxics
April 23, 2025
Meng Li, Jinbo Li, Binling Zhu
A dual analytical workflow combining thermal desorption-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (TD-ESI-MS/MS) for rapid screening and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) for confirmatory quantification was developed to detect 17 psychoactive substances and metabolites in hair. The TD-ESI-MS/MS method showed limits of detection between 0.1 and 0.2 ng/mg, with 85.7% sensitivity and over 89.7% specificity. UPLC-MS/MS confirmation achieved accuracy rates of 89.7-99.8%. In analyzed specimens, etomidate analogs were the most prevalent psychoactive substances (73.6%), followed by amphetamine-type stimulants (12.5%), ketamine-type drugs (9.0%), and opioids (2.8%). Polydrug use patterns included concurrent etomidate-amphetamine consumption (n = 5) and complex analog combinations (etomidate-isopropoxate-metomidate, n = 13), indicating evolving abuse trends. The approach demonstrates viability for forensic and public health applications.