Analytical profiles of “legal highs” containing cathinones available in the area of Lisbon, Portugal

Zancajo, Victor M. R.; Brito, José; Carrasco, Marta P.; Bronze, Maria Rosário; Moreira, Rui; Lopes, Álvaro

doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2014.08.010

Cited by 17 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 14 publications

(2 reference statements)

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“…high school students not familiar with other stimulant drugs). We attempted to determine the specifics of the phenomenon of 3MMC and the reasons why it remains so popular in Slovenia after the ban, while in the UK and other countries mephedrone is still present on the drug scenes as stated in some of the post legislative studies in UK (Wood & Dargan, 2012;Measham et al, 2011b) in Portugal (Zancajo et al, 2014) and in the Netherlands in 2013, where it was added to ecstasy tablets during the shortage of precursors for MDMA production (Hondebrink, Nugteren-van Lonkhuyzen, Van Der Gouwe, & Brunt, 2015). The popularity of 3-MMC in Slovenia may be partly explained by the rapid growth of the market for NPS, the geographic location of Slovenia and the fact that it remained legal in some countries in the region for a longer period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of the use of 3-MMC and other new psychoactive drugs in Slovenia, and the perceived problems experienced by users

Sande

2016

International Journal of Drug Policy

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of the use of 3-MMC and other new psychoactive drugs in Slovenia, and the perceived problems experienced by users

Sande

2016

International Journal of Drug Policy

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“…[1] For example, this technique has been shown to successfully discriminate between NPS classes [14][15][16][17] as well as within classes such as cathinones, [18] aminoindanes [19,20] and benzylpiperazines. [21] In circumstances where no reference standards or data were available, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) has been used to determine the chemical connectivity of NPS such as cathinones [22] and aminoindanes. [19,20] High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used with various detectors to separate compounds between NPS classes [16] as well as within classes of cathinones [23] and cannabinoids.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of new psychoactive substances (NPS) using handheld Raman spectroscopy employing both 785 and 1064 nm laser sources

Guirguis

Girotto

Berti

et al. 2017

Forensic Science International

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The chemical identification of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in the field is challenging due not only to the plethora of substances available, but also as a result of the chemical complexity of products and the chemical similarity of NPS analogues. In this study, handheld Raman spectroscopy and the use of two excitation wavelengths, 785 and 1064 nm, were evaluated for the identification of 60 NPS products. The products contained a range of NPS from classes including the aminoindanes, arylalkylamines, benzodiazepines, and piperidines & pyrrolidines. Identification was initially assessed using the instruments' in built algorithm (i.e., % HQI) and then further by visual inspection of the Raman spectra. Confirmatory analysis was preformed using gas chromatography mass spectrometry. For the 60 diverse products, an NPS was successfully identified via the algorithm in 11 products (18 %) using the 785 nm source and 29 products (48 %) using the 1064 nm source. Evaluation of the Raman spectra showed that increasing the excitation wavelength from 785 to 1064 nm improved this 'first pass' identification primarily due to a significant reduction in fluorescence, which increased S/N of the characteristic peaks of the substance identified. True positive correlations between internet products and NPS signatures ranged from 57.0 to 91.3 % HQI with typical RSDs < 10 %. Tablet formulations and branded products were particularly challenging as a result of low NPS concentration and high chemical complexity, respectively. This study demonstrates the advantage of using a 1064 nm source with handheld Raman spectroscopy for improved 'first pass' NPS identification when minimal spectral processing is required, such as when working in field. Future investigations will focus on the use of mixture algorithms, effect of NPS concentration, and further improvement of spectral libraries.

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“…Several MDPV analogues have appeared on the market, including the popular and widespread α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (α-PVP) [9]. Besides MDPV, mephedrone (4-methylmethcathinone) was also one of the first introduced and most used NPS [10], but recently, its demand decreased because of legislative actions and an analogue, known as methedrone (4-methoxy methylcathinone), has entered the market [11,12]. In Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00216-015-8763-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In vitro Phase I and Phase II metabolism of α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (α-PVP), methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and methedrone by human liver microsomes and human liver cytosol

et al. 2015

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The aim of the present study was to identify the in vitro Phase I and Phase II metabolites of three new psychoactive substances: α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (α-PVP), methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), and methedrone, using human liver microsomes and human liver cytosol. Accurate-mass spectra of metabolites were obtained using liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Six Phase I metabolites of α-PVP were identified, which were formed involving reduction, hydroxylation, and pyrrolidine ring opening reactions. The lactam compound was the major metabolite observed for α-PVP. Two glucuronidated metabolites of α-PVP, not reported in previous in vitro studies, were further identified. MDPV was transformed into 10 Phase I metabolites involving reduction, hydroxylation, and loss of the pyrrolidine ring. Also, six glucuronidated and two sulphated metabolites were detected. The major metabolite of MDPV was the catechol metabolite. Methedrone was transformed into five Phase I metabolites, involving N- and O-demethylation, hydroxylation, and reduction of the ketone group. Three metabolites of methedrone are reported for the first time. In addition, the contribution of individual human CYP enzymes in the formation of the detected metabolites was investigated.

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Analytical profiles of “legal highs” containing cathinones available in the area of Lisbon, Portugal

Cited by 17 publications

References 14 publications

Characteristics of the use of 3-MMC and other new psychoactive drugs in Slovenia, and the perceived problems experienced by users

Characteristics of the use of 3-MMC and other new psychoactive drugs in Slovenia, and the perceived problems experienced by users

Identification of new psychoactive substances (NPS) using handheld Raman spectroscopy employing both 785 and 1064 nm laser sources

In vitro Phase I and Phase II metabolism of α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (α-PVP), methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and methedrone by human liver microsomes and human liver cytosol

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