Concentration distribution of more than 100 drugs and metabolites in forensic hair samples

Mußhoff, Frank; Schwarz, Gerlinde; Sachs, Hans; Skopp, Gisela; Franz, Thomas

doi:10.1007/s00414-020-02259-3

Cited by 33 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…MD ratios below 1 were primarily reported for several pharmaceuticals, including fentanyl, ketamine, methadone, and tramadol. This is in accordance with the higher parent drug concentrations reported for these pharmaceuticals by Musshoff et al [89]. Similar physical and chemical properties were observed for many pharmaceuticals and their metabolites, as being the case for amitriptyline with pKa 9.4 and logP 4.9 and its metabolite nortriptyline with pKa 9.7 and logP 3.9 [110], and thus, the MD ratios were not found to be strongly affected by the small differences in lipophilicity or pKa values.…”

Section: Ratios In Hairsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…In addition, the concomitant consumption of psychotropic medication metabolized by the same isoenzymes affects the drug metabolism and thus the MD ratio [92]. Musshoff et al [89] reported strong inhibition of the enzyme CYP2B6 by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. CYP2B6 metabolizes ketamine to its metabolite norketamine, and concomitant drug intake may be a reason for varying MD ratios of ketamine and norketamine, which were reported from 0.010 to 1.3 in hair (n = 654, see Table 1).…”

Section: Inter-and Intraindividual Differencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Systematic Review of Metabolite-to-Drug Ratios of Pharmaceuticals in Hair for Forensic Investigations

2021

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After ingestion, consumed drugs and their metabolites are incorporated into hair, which has a long detection window, ranging up to months. Therefore, in addition to conventional blood and urine analyses, hair analysis can provide useful information on long-term drug exposure. Meta-bolite-to-drug (MD) ratios are helpful in interpreting hair results, as they provide useful information on drug metabolism and can be used to distinguish drug use from external contamination, which is otherwise a limitation in hair analysis. Despite this, the MD ratios of a wide range of pharmaceuticals have scarcely been explored. This review aims to provide an overview of MD ratios in hair in a range of pharmaceuticals of interest to forensic toxicology, such as antipsychotic drugs, antidepressant drugs, benzodiazepines, common opiates/opioids, etc. The factors influencing the ratio were evaluated. MD ratios of 41 pharmaceuticals were reported from almost 100 studies. MD ratios below 1 were frequently reported, indicating higher concentrations of the parent pharmaceutical than of its metabolite in hair, but wide-ranging MD ratios of the majority of pharmaceuticals were found. Intra- and interindividual differences and compound properties were variables possibly contributing to this. This overview presents guidance for future comparison and evaluation of MD ratios of pharmaceuticals.

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Section: Ratios In Hairsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Inter-and Intraindividual Differencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Systematic Review of Metabolite-to-Drug Ratios of Pharmaceuticals in Hair for Forensic Investigations

2021

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“…According to the scientific literature, 10,11 this is a very low concentration (within the lower 10%‐percentile according to our in‐house statistic 11 ) consistent with an occasional or even single use. After the athlete had been informed on amphetamine being present in one of his food supplements, he suspected a person that might have had the possibility and occasion to sabotage his food supposedly about 2 months before the urine sample turned out to be positive.…”

Section: Case Historymentioning

confidence: 63%

Application of single hair analysis in a doping case involving amphetamine

Wiedfeld

Skopp

Thieme³

et al. 2022

Drug Testing and Analysis

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Hair analysis has become a valuable and widely accepted routine method in forensic and clinical toxicology, as well as in work-place drug testing. Main applications are the proof of abstinence or the evaluation of drug use during the past months. 1,2 However, hair is a rarely used specimen in doping control. So far, only blood and urine samples are considered in the Code of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). 3 According to a consensus on hair testing for doping agents released by the Society of Hair Testing (SoHT), hair is not a suitable

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“…An analogous method as described for previously published work was applied to prepare hair samples for analysis [26]. In brief, after washing with commercially available shampoo, the total length of each hair sample (case 1: 33 cm; case 2: 2 cm) was weighed in a plastic tube (case 1: 57 mg; case 2: 53 mg), washed with 5 mL each of petroleum ether and methanol and cut with scissors.…”

Section: Sample Preparation Of Hairmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unexpected results found in larvae samples from two postmortem forensic cases

Groth¹,

Franz²,

Fels³

et al. 2021

Forensic Toxicol

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Purpose In forensics, entomological specimens can be used as additional/alternative matrices to detect xenobiotics when human specimens are limited in their application. Despite some advantages over implementing putrefied human remains, most medico-legal laboratories do not include entomotoxicological procedures as routine analytical methods. We thus applied two authentic cases to evaluate necrophagous larvae’s potential as complementary matrices for toxicological analysis after extensive postmortem decomposition. Methods Larvae and postmortem human samples, including hair, stomach contents, pericardial fluid, liver, lung, and skeletal muscle, were collected at autopsy. Samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry for pharmaceutical substances, illicit drugs, and new psychoactive substances, including synthetic cannabinoids, benzodiazepines, new synthetic opioids, and stimulants. Results Nearly all substances detected in human specimens, including several benzodiazepines and synthetic cannabinoids, were also detected in larvae. Surprisingly, some drugs, including the new psychoactive substances EAM-2201 and U-47700, were found exclusively in larvae and hair. The benzodiazepine etizolam was detected only in liver, lungs, and stomach contents, possibly resulting from characteristic tissue distribution in humans and/or larvae. Conclusions Antemortem external hair contamination with synthetic cannabinoids from side-stream smoke and postmortem hair contamination with substances in putrefaction fluids can be supposed in these cases. Our findings suggest that supplementary information can indeed be gained from analyzing larvae additional to those human specimens that are typically used for toxicological analysis after extensive postmortem decomposition. Nevertheless, these results represent merely two cases, requiring in-depth studies to determine whether such findings can identify acute intoxications as possible causes of death.

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Concentration distribution of more than 100 drugs and metabolites in forensic hair samples

Cited by 33 publications

References 19 publications

A Systematic Review of Metabolite-to-Drug Ratios of Pharmaceuticals in Hair for Forensic Investigations

A Systematic Review of Metabolite-to-Drug Ratios of Pharmaceuticals in Hair for Forensic Investigations

Application of single hair analysis in a doping case involving amphetamine

Unexpected results found in larvae samples from two postmortem forensic cases

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