Electrochemical Strategies for the Screening of Synthetic Cannabinoid BB-22 (QUCHIC) within a Toxicological Specimen

Abstract

Synthetic Cannabinoids (SC) are amongst the most prevalent class of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) which have emerged. The increase in hospitalisation and fatalities as a result of the prevalence of these SC and their abuse, highlights the necessity for the rapid and reliable screening for the substance within toxicological samples. Being able to rapidly screen for these substances would aim to improve overdose triage and ultimately improve treatment administration. Not only this but it would have further advantages for in-field applications such as the identification of drivers under the influence. To this avail we investigate the ability of a simple electrochemical screening strategy for the detection of SC, BB-22 and its primary metabolite BB-22-3-Carboxyindole. Assessment of the feasibility of the strategy for implementation into toxicological sample analysis was performed through detection not only under ideal electrolyte conditions (down to 5 µM for BB-22 and 2 µM for its metabolite) but also within the complex biological matrix of human pooled serum (between 200 and 700 µM), a relevant matrix it would likely encounter if employed within this field.

Interpol Review of Drug Analysis 2019-2022

“…FTIR, NMR, GC/MS and/or LC/MS for detection of synthetic cannabinoids in the unregulated drug supply in Canada - synthetic cannabinoids detected included AMB-FUBINACA, AB-FUBINACA, 5-fluoro-MDMB-PINACA, and 5-fluoro-MDMB-PICA, and often with fentanyl [ 767 ]; LC-QTOF-MS assay for the identification of synthetic cannabinoid parent compounds and metabolites, including real-time identification of emergent compounds (including 5F-MDMB-PICA, 4-cyano CUMYL-BUTINACA and 5F-EDMB-PINACA) [ 768 ]; 2021 integration of GC-MS and NMR data as a strategy for the identification and confirmation of synthetic cannabinoids (5 napthoylindoles (JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-122, JWH-210, MAM-2201), APINACA, XLR-11 and CP47,497-C8 and its enantiomer) present in nine seized herbal incenses [ 769 ]; electrochemical screening strategy for the detection of synthetic cannabinoids [ 770 ]; HPLC-PDA and HPLC-PDA-QTOF-MS methods were applied to 177 infused paper samples seized in Scottish prisons between 2018 and 2020 for detection of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists [ 771 ]; characterization of analytical profiles and impurities of QMPSB, QMMSB, QMPCB, 2F-QMPSB, QMiPSB, and SGT-233 [ 772 ]; review of the challenges of synthetic cannabinoids for forensic chemists [ 773 ]; determination of 5F-QUPIC and MDMB-CHMICA in seized plant material by GC-MS, H-1 NMR and HPLC-DAD [ 774 ]; synthesis and analysis of 5F-PB-22, NM-2201, UR-144 and AB-CHMINACA by ESI-MS, GC-EI-MS, GC-FID, HPLC, Raman spectroscopy as well as H-1 NMR [ 775 ]; detection, activity and toxicity of the pent-4en- and but-3en synthetic cannabinoid analogues including MDMB-4en-PINACA, MMB-4en-PICA and MDMB-3en-BINACA [ 776 ]; development of GC-MS and NMR methods for the identification and quantification of synthetic cannabinoids in herbal blends [ 777 ]; review of the forensic, clinical, and analytical implications of ADB-FUBINACA and AMB-FUBINACA [ 778 ]; evaluation of different TLC methods for detection of cannabinoids and standardization of color nomenclature [ 779 ]; LLE-LC-MS method for the extraction and detection of 50 cannabinoids including the cannabis urinary biomarker 11-nor-9-carboxy-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH), Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) [ 780 ]; method for the detection of synthetic cannabinoids in air using a fixed sequential sampler, alongside personal air sampling units worn by prison officers where air samples were collected onto TD tubes and analyzed via two-dimensional GC x GC-TOF MS [ 781 ]; structure elucidation and analytical characterization of Cumyl-BC[2.2.1]HpMeGaClone, Cumyl-BC[2.2.1] HpMINACA, and Cumyl-BC[2.2.1]HpMICA using GC-MS, GC-sIR, solid and neat IR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, LC-ESI-MS, HR-LC-ESI-MS, NMR spectroscopy [ 782 ]; LC-MS-MS assay for the simultaneous quantification of 12 cannabinoids and their metabolites in breast milk [ 783 ]; development of a targeted GC-MS method for synthetic cannabinoids [ 784 ]; detection of synthetic cannabinoids (AMB-FUBINACA, AB-FUBINACA, 5-fluoro-MDMB-PINACA, and 5-fluoro-MDMB-...…”