Analytical approaches applied to the analysis of apprehended formulations of anabolic androgenic steroids

Abstract

Anabolic androgenic steroids (AASs) comprise a class of synthetic androgens resulting from chemical modifications of testosterone, known for their illicit consumption, which can result inextensive side effects. Extraction procedures applied to the analysis of their formulations are still limited to a few methodologies, despite the increasing numbers of confiscations of AASs. In this sense, the aims of this work were to evaluate the extraction of active ingredients from formulations of anabolic agents using solid‐liquid or liquid‐iquid, ultrasonic bath, ultrasonicprobe, and microwave‐assisted extraction. The results indicated that the extraction procedures influenced the detected concentration of AASs, as the use of ultrasonic probe and microwave irradiation increased the overall extraction of anabolic agents compared with solid‐liquid, liquid‐liquid, and ultrasonic bath. Regarding oxymetholone, for instance, the microwave‐assisted extraction and ultrasonic probe extracted, respectively, 37.46 ± 1.36 and 35.69 ± 0.98 mg/tablet, while solid‐liquid extracted 29.63 ± 0.40 mg/tablet of the activeingredient. Therefore, alternative methods such as microwave‐assisted extraction or theultrasonic probe could be used for the analysis of formulations of AASs assisting with the identification of illicit and toxic components.

Extraction and analytical approaches in the forensic evaluation of anabolic androgenic steroid formulations

“…Fluoxymesterone, for instance, turns yellow in contact with concentrated sulfuric acid, light green (if cooled) in naphtol‐sulfuric acid solution, yellow in the Liebermann's test and yellow‐brown in Mandelin's test color differences of an anabolic agent in distinct spot tests may be associated to different mechanisms that occur in each colorimetric analysis and to the formulation. In the Liebermann's test color is formed by the reaction of the hydroxyl group in ring A with the reagents while in the Mandelin's test color is formed due to reactions with steroidal unsaturation (Berneira, Silva, et al, 2020; Chiong et al, 1992; Moffat et al, 2011).…”

“…It is worth noting that besides increasing extraction efficiency, the use of microwave irradiation and ultrasound is aligned with several green chemistry principles as their usage decreases solvent and sample amounts and, thus, they are able to reduce energy consumption, waste generation, human exposure, and solvents released to the environment (Llompart et al, 2019). The higher extraction of yield of microwave irradiation compared to conventional extraction techniques was associated with the focused energy in the sample and the increased temperatures that are formed during the extraction process (Berneira, dos Santos, et al, 2020; Berneira, Silva, et al, 2020).…”

“…Results showed that the extraction generally increased more than 10% among the analytes by direct application of ultrasound waves in the sample (Berneira, dos Santos, et al, 2020). Microwave irradiation could also be a promising extraction approach as it could extract AASs with low solvent volume and little amount of time with satisfactory efficiency (Berneira, dos Santos, et al, 2020; Berneira, Silva, et al, 2020). It is worth noting that besides increasing extraction efficiency, the use of microwave irradiation and ultrasound is aligned with several green chemistry principles as their usage decreases solvent and sample amounts and, thus, they are able to reduce energy consumption, waste generation, human exposure, and solvents released to the environment (Llompart et al, 2019).…”

Screening method for the characterization of anabolic steroids seized in Brazil using paper spray mass spectrometry and chemometric tools

“…Most of the published methods have employed laborious and time‐consuming techniques, which almost always require solvent extraction and/or derivatization steps. Among these techniques, we can mention ultra‐ and high‐performance liquid chromatography (UPLC and HPLC) with mass spectrometry or diode array UV detector, 9–12 gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS) or flame ionization detection (GC–FID), 8,12–14 differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), 15 and nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR) spectroscopy 16 . Some articles have utilized techniques based on chemical images generated by coupling a microscope with a vibrational spectroscopic technique, such as attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (μATR‐FTIR) 4 and hyperspectral Raman spectroscopy 17 .…”

“…Oily samples are one of the most common forms of seized anabolic steroids, which are available for intravenous or intramuscular administration. This formulation is presented in lipophilic excipient, which provides slow release of the active ingredient into the circulation and prolongs its biological effect in the organism 8 . This form of anabolic steroid is the most challenging for chromatographic analysis, because the oil matrix is hard to remove even by tedious extraction processes, often demanding derivatization 23 …”