The Analysis of Methyl Salicylate and Salicylic Acid from Chinese Herbal Medicine Ingestion

Abstract

This paper presents a multi-drug fatality in which methyl salicylate was ingested. It is presented to inform the toxicological community that a particularly expeditious method of detection for methyl salicylate exists. Previously published methods for the analysis of methyl salicylate include a gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method and an alkaline/acidic extraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) analysis. This article describes a method for analyzing methyl salicylate using HPLC, in which a simple, rapid extraction procedure is used. Using a previously published HPLC method, methyl salicylate and salicylic acid were easily identified in biological specimens. Methyl salicylate and salicylic acid were detected using an extraction solution of acetonitrile coupled with internal standard and then analyzed by HPLC-diode-array detection. Because of its concentrated liquid form, methyl salicylate ingestion can cause rapid onset salicylate toxicity. As the potentially fatal methyl salicylate forms are readily available and easily found on drugstore shelves, the need to rapidly detect and quantitate salicylic acid concentrations that are due to methyl salicylate ingestion may arise. In the case presented, the peripheral blood concentration of salicylic acid from methyl salicylate ingestion was 320 mg/L, and the concentration in gastric contents was 820 mg. It alone was not the cause of death, however. The discovery of the ability to detect and quantitate methyl salicylate was due to its suspected ingestion.

Improved Analytical Method for Estimation of Essential Oil in Drug Ointment Through Rapid Static Chromatography Headspace for Quality Control Analysis

“…The drug is used for temporary relief of minor aches and pains caused by arthritis, simple backache, strains, sprains, and bruises. Methyl salicylate/menthol cream is a topical analgesic [14].…”

Emerging pharmacologic targets and treatments for myocarditis

“…Mongholicu (Zhu, et al, 2009). Although such beneficial constituents have been identified, herbal remedies may also contain toxic levels of alkaloids (Teschke, Wolff, Frenzel, & Schulze, 2014), salicylates (Chan, 2002;Parker, Martinez, Stanley, Simmons, & McIntyre, 2004) and other psychoactive compounds in some remedies (Siegel, 1976). A final challenge exists in the heterogeneous nature of herbal remedies.…”

Solid Phase Microextraction–Multicapillary Column–Ion Mobility Spectrometry (SPME–MCC–IMS) for Detection of Methyl Salicylate in Tomato Leaves

“…Methyl salicylate (MeSA), synthesized in plants from salicylic acid (SA), is a plant hormone that plays an important role in the resistance of plants to pathogens, thermogenesis in some flowers, and flower durability. ,, Numerous methods have been developed for the determination of MeSA in leaves and fruits of plants and its vapor in the gas phase. − The reported amounts of MeSA in tomato and white tea leaves are in the range 1–7 μg g –1 . − The concentration of MeSA in the tomato leaves changes with time after inoculation with a pathogen; however, the change is within the above range …”