Overview of the major classes of new psychoactive substances, psychoactive effects, analytical determination and conformational analysis of selected illegal drugs

Abstract

The misuse of psychoactive substances is attracting a great deal of attention from the general public. An increase use of psychoactive substances is observed among young people who do not have enough awareness of the harmful effects of these substances. Easy access to illicit drugs at low cost and lack of effective means of routine screening for new psychoactive substances (NPS) have contributed to the rapid increase in their use. New research and evidence suggest that drug use can cause a variety of adverse psychological and physiological effects on human health (anxiety, panic, paranoia, psychosis, and seizures). We describe different classes of these NPS drugs with emphasis on the methods used to identify them and the identification of their metabolites in biological specimens. This is the first review that thoroughly gives the literature on both natural and synthetic illegal drugs with old known data and very hot new topics and investigations, which enables the researcher to use it as a starting point in the literature exploration and planning of the own research. For the first time, the conformational analysis was done for selected illegal drugs, giving rise to the search of the biologically active conformations both theoretically and using lab experiments.

An Update on the Implications of New Psychoactive Substances in Public Health

“…Plant-based NPS predominantly comprise alkaloids, which can induce a variety of effects, most commonly hallucinogenic, yet some can also induce relaxation [22,114,303]. Most of these NPS are often used for medicinal purposes or in rituals [22,23,304]. Only three plant-based NPS are under monitoring by the UNODC, namely Catha edulis, Salvia divinorum, and Mitragyna speciosa [304,305].…”

“…Most of these NPS are often used for medicinal purposes or in rituals [22,23,304]. Only three plant-based NPS are under monitoring by the UNODC, namely Catha edulis, Salvia divinorum, and Mitragyna speciosa [304,305].…”

“…Catha edulis (khat) is an indigenous plant from some Middle Eastern and West African countries, and among its contents approximately 40 alkaloids are present, mostly cathedulins (polyhydroxylated sesquiterpenes) and phenylalkylamines [22,23,303,304,306]. Three phenylalkylamines with high stimulant effect were detected: cathinone [S-(-)-cathinone], norephedrine [1R,2S-(-)-norephedrine] and cathine [1S,2S-(+)-norpseudoephedrine].…”

“…Salvia divinorum is another of the UNODC-controlled plant-based NPS, and originates from northeastern Mexico, and has been used for centuries for its hallucinogenic properties [22,303,307,308]. This plant is consumed by chewing the leaves, or alternatively consumed as tea or even smoked, being easily purchased in smart shops [22,23,303,304,[307][308][309][310].…”

Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC) in Screening of Botanicals – its Versatile Potential and Selected Applications

“…An intensified intercontinental tourism enhanced this trend by bringing together tourists from the better off regions with whole populations in developing countries who make recreational use of local herbs known for containing psychoactive components (e.g., the marijuana-containing cannabis plant in the Indian subcontinent and most of the South Asian region, the cocaine-containing coca leaves in Latin America, the amphetamine-like cathinone contained in the khat leaves from the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa, etc.) As a result, a burning need has emerged for rapid and efficient screening of psychoactive plants and an interesting review on this subject matter is provided in paper [78]. The authors of this paper have focused on the screening methods for psychoactive plants with use of a variety of analytical techniques, including TLC.…”