Cocaine Analytes in Human Hair: Evaluation of Concentration Ratios in Different Cocaine Sources, Drug-User Populations and Surface-Contaminated Specimens

Ropero‐Miller, Jeri D.; Huestis, Marilyn A.; Stout, Peter

doi:10.1093/jat/bks050

Cited by 47 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Hair colour appears to affect accumulation and retention of drugs such as COC, since black or brown hair with its high eumelanin levels accumulates more basic type drugs, such as COC, than blond, gray, or red hair 17. Dark hair also appears to be more susceptible to drug incorporation from in vitro contamination than light‐coloured hair 5. All the hair samples we analyzed belonged to Caucasian subjects, were naturally pigmented, and prevalently brown or black in colour (86.7%), so the influence of hair colour on the present drug test outcome can be reasonably considered the same.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since its metabolism is dominated by hydrolytic ester cleavage, excreted metabolites consist mainly of benzoylecgonine (BEG) with lesser amounts of others like ecgonine methyl ester and ecgonine. Other minor cocaine metabolites are norcocaine (NCOC), p‐hydroxycocaine, m‐hydroxycocaine, p‐hydroxybenzoylecgonine, and m‐hydroxybenzoylecgonine 4, 5. COC is often taken with ethanol producing cocaethylene (CE), a psychoactive COC homologue 3…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some studies reported CE and NCOC levels when hair samples were contaminated with COC in the laboratory 5. On the other hand, not finding these two metabolites in hair does not exclude drug usage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Norcocaine and cocaethylene distribution patterns in hair samples from light, moderate, and heavy cocaine users

Gambelunghe

Rossi

Aroni

et al. 2015

Drug Testing and Analysis

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Even though hair analysis often seems to be the best choice for retrospective monitoring of cocaine intake, differentiating between incorporated cocaine and external contamination is widely debated. In this study we report results obtained in 90 hair samples from addicts. All samples were analyzed for cocaine, benzoylecgonine, norcocaine, cocaethylene, and tropococaine by gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) techniques coupled with direct immersion solid‐phase micro‐extraction. Cocaine concentrations were stratified into three classes of usage: light (0.5–3 ng/mg), moderate (3.1–10 ng/mg) and heavy (10.1–40 ng/mg). The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration cut‐off criteria for establishing active cocaine use were applied to the results. For all samples criteria were cocaine levels above 0.5 ng/mg (ranging from 1.63 to 39.29 ng/mg, mean 9.49 ng/mg), benzoylecgonine concentrations ≥ 0.05 ng/mg (ranging from 0.19 to 5.77 ng/mg, mean 1.40), and benzoylecgonine to cocaine % ratio ≥5% (from 6.43 to 26.09%). Norcocaine was present in 58.9% of samples (concentration range: 0.22–3.14 ng/mg) and was strongly predictive only of heavy cocaine use (sensitivity 100% for cocaine concentrations above 9.58 ng/mg). Twenty hair samples from moderate and heavy users tested positive for cocaethylene (concentration range: 0.22–1.98 ng/mg, mean 0.73 ng/mg). This study on hair samples with no chance of false positive cases highlights the very limited applications of testing minor cocaine metabolites for definitive proof of active cocaine consumption. © 2015 The Authors. Drug Testing and Analysis Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Norcocaine and cocaethylene distribution patterns in hair samples from light, moderate, and heavy cocaine users

Gambelunghe

Rossi

Aroni

et al. 2015

Drug Testing and Analysis

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“…Moreover, the quality of the results in studies is hampered by the unreliability of self-reports of drug use, the limited number of paired samples and the lack of controlled dosing. For several drugs, including sedatives, EtG and cocaine, there appears to be a dose-response relationship [42,59,77]. However, there does not seem to be any correlation between blood concentrations and the concentrations found in nails [13].…”

Section: Comparison and Correlation Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Nail analysis for the detection of drugs of abuse and pharmaceuticals: a review

et al. 2014

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Nails can stably accumulate substances for long periods of time, thus providing retrospective information regarding drugs of abuse and pharmaceutical use. Nails have several advantages over the conventional matrices, such as blood and urine, including a longer detection window (months to years), non-invasive sample collection, and easy storage and transport. These aspects make nails a very interesting matrix for forensic and clinical toxicology. Because of the low concentrations of drugs of abuse and pharmaceuticals present in nails and the complexity of the keratinized matrix, analytical methods need to be more sensitive, and sample preparation is crucial. This review summarizes the literature regarding the detection and quantification of drugs of abuse and pharmaceuticals in nails, as well as the employed pre-analytical and analytical techniques. Additionally, the applications of nail analysis are reviewed. Finally, an overview of the challenges of nail analysis is provided, and guidelines for future research are proposed.

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“…Drug concentrations in hair can be altered by shampoos, bleaches, or dyes, and falsepositive results may be obtained with volatile drugs such as marijuana, which may adhere to hair. 17,18 No point-of-care tests are available; laboratory testing is costly, and it takes a long time to obtain results.…”

Section: Specimen Typesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing for Drugs of Abuse in Children and Adolescents

Levy¹,

Siqueira²

2014

Pediatrics

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Drug testing is often used as part of an assessment for substance use in children and adolescents. However, the indications for drug testing and guidance on how to use this procedure effectively are not clear. The complexity and invasiveness of the procedure and limitations to the information derived from drug testing all affect its utility. The objective of this clinical report is to provide guidance to pediatricians and other clinicians on the efficacy and efficient use of drug testing on the basis of a review of the nascent scientific literature, policy guidelines, and published clinical recommendations. Pediatrics 2014;133:e1798-e1807 INTRODUCTIONThe recreational use of drugs is an underrecognized cause of mortality and morbidity in children and adolescents. It is, in fact, a public health priority. 1 Although annual surveys of drug use by children and adolescents may show fluctuation, the underlying rates remain high. 2 Numerous adverse consequences accompany use, not the least of which is the increased risk of dependence among those who began smoking, drinking, and using drugs before 18 years of age. 3,4 Furthermore, most adults with substance use disorders initiated use during childhood or adolescence. 5 Pediatricians are on the front lines for deterring, delaying, detecting, and diminishing the use of drugs by children. It is imperative that all pediatricians understand and are ready to use the tools and strategies effective for these endeavors.Drug testing has been recommended in a variety of settings and clinical situations to avert substance use, to identify use as part of an assessment, or as part of treatment of individuals with substance use disorders. To date, there is little consensus among physicians regarding the indications for drug testing and little guidance on how to use this procedure effectively for any indication. 6 The federal government has issued extensive guidance on the use of urine drug testing with federal and other employees, 7 although this guidance is not applicable for all situations and age groups. Experts have called for further evidencebased studies to guide best practices with adolescents. 8 The complexity and invasiveness of the procedure and limitations to the information derived from drug testing all affect its utility. The objective of this clinical report is to provide guidance on the efficacy and efficient use of drug testing on the basis of a review of the nascent scientific literature, policy guidelines, and published clinical recommendations.

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Cocaine Analytes in Human Hair: Evaluation of Concentration Ratios in Different Cocaine Sources, Drug-User Populations and Surface-Contaminated Specimens

Cited by 47 publications

References 25 publications

Norcocaine and cocaethylene distribution patterns in hair samples from light, moderate, and heavy cocaine users

Norcocaine and cocaethylene distribution patterns in hair samples from light, moderate, and heavy cocaine users

Nail analysis for the detection of drugs of abuse and pharmaceuticals: a review

Testing for Drugs of Abuse in Children and Adolescents

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