Detection of mescaline in human hair samples by UPLC-MS/MS: Application to 19 authentic forensic cases
Shuo Yang, Yan Shi, Zhuonan Chen, Mobing Chen, Xinze Liu, Wei Liu, Mengxiang Su, Bin Di
Journal of Chromatography B March 2, 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2022.123202 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed to detect and measure mescaline in hair. The method showed good linearity from 10 to 1000 pg/mg, with a detection limit of 3 pg/mg and quantification limit of 10 pg/mg. Total analysis time was 5 minutes. The method was applied to 19 real forensic cases, finding mescaline concentrations in hair ranging from 10 to 784 pg/mg. Mescaline, a psychedelic alkaloid from the peyote cactus, is a class I psychotropic drug in China, and this method is suitable for large-scale surveillance of mescaline abuse in forensic toxicology.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Method validation study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 19 |
| Population | Real forensic cases (hair samples from individuals involved in forensic toxicology cases) |
| Topics | Mescaline |
| Keywords | Chemistry Detection limit Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry Forensic toxicology |
| Citations | 13 |
| Key finding | A validated LC-MS/MS method for mescaline quantification in hair was developed, with concentrations in 19 forensic cases ranging from 10 to 784 pg/mg. |
Abstract
Mescaline, a natural alkaloid found in the peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii) in the Americas, has gradually become a drug of abuse in China because of its psychedelic properties. Its intake may lead to hallucinations and confusion or even be life-threatening. Mescaline is classified as a class Ⅰ psychotropic drug in China, which means its use in medicine or scientific research is under strict control of the government. However, studies on surveillance of mescaline abuse in the Chinese population are lacking. A rapid and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination and quantification of mescaline in hair. The method had good linearity in the range from 10 to 1000 pg/mg, with the limit of detection (LOD) of 3 pg/mg and the limit of quantitation (LOQ) of 10 pg/mg. The total runtime was 5 min. Acceptable intraday and interday precision (RSD < 15%) and accuracy (bias, -11.2% ∼ 6.8%) were achieved. The recovery was 85.0-101.0%, and the matrix effect was 92.0-105.0%. The validated method was successfully applied to 19 real forensic cases. The concentrations of mescaline in hair ranged from 10 to 784 pg/mg. The method has the benefits of simple sample preparation, high sensitivity, and short running time, making it suitable for large-scale quantitative surveillance analysis of mescaline in forensic toxicology.