Analysis of 28 hair samples from users of the hallucinogenic beverage ayahuasca
Mengxi Liu, Huan Yang, Jing Hu, Baohua Shen, Ping Xiang, Huosheng Qiang, Hongxiao Deng, Zhiguo Yu, Yan Shi
Forensic Science International April 20, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2021.110790 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA fast and reliable UPLC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for measuring dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in hair samples. The method, which pulverizes 20-milligram hair samples with methanol below 4 °C, achieved a lower limit of quantitation of 3 pg/mg and a calibration curve with R² = 0.992. Intraday and interday precision (RSD < 15%) and accuracy (92-113%) were acceptable, and dilution integrity was confirmed. Applied to 28 forensic cases, DMT concentrations ranged from 3 to 1109 pg/mg.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Method development and validation Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 28 |
| Population | Forensic cases |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Chromatography Chemistry Hallucinogen |
| Citations | 14 |
| Key finding | A validated UPLC-MS/MS method quantified dimethyltryptamine in hair samples from 28 forensic cases, with concentrations ranging from 3 to 1109 pg/mg. |
Abstract
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive beverage widely used in religious ceremonies in Amazonia. Dimethyltryptamine is the main active compound of ayahuasca. Dimethyltryptamine has many hazardous effects, including hallucinations. In the present study, a fast and reliable UPLC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for the quantitation of dimethyltryptamine in hair samples. Twenty-milligram hair samples were pulverized with methanol below 4 °C. After ultrasonication, centrifugation and filtration, 200 μL of supernatant was placed into an autosampler vial for LC-MS/MS analysis. The lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) was 3 pg/mg. The resulting calibration curve for dimethyltryptamine fit the expression y = 281.50213x + 0.00231 (R2 = 0.992). Acceptable intraday and interday precision (RSD < 15%) and accuracy (92-113%) were achieved. The dilution integrity was deemed acceptable based on accuracy (96%) and precision (1.8%). The validated method was successfully applied to 28 forensic cases. The concentrations of dimethyltryptamine ranged from 3 to 1109 pg/mg.