The urinary excretion of γ-hydroxybutyric acid in man

Abstract

gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) has been widely associated with drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA). However, its excretion profile in man has not been well characterized. To assess the detectability of GHB for forensic cases and to correlate urinary levels with dose, we have examined the excretion profiles of 1- and 2-g doses of GHB (sodium salt) in a healthy male volunteer. The urinary levels were measured by a novel, simple and highly reproducible method. The drug was found to be excreted in small amounts in the free form (0.86 and 1.16% for 1- and 2-g doses, respectively) rapidly in urine (< or = 10 h). The urinary levels were found to be in the low mg L(-1) range (up to 29.1 mg L(-1)). The work presented demonstrates that it is of the utmost importance to collect the samples as soon as possible following the alleged assault.

Conversion of γ-hydroxybutyric acid to a fluorescent derivative: a method for screening

“…This means that the present method depending on derivatization with Br-DMEQ can be improved to detect much lower concentrations of GHB even close to the endogenous levels. As mentioned before, the doses of GHB in many cases of abuse is very high (>1 g) [3][4][5][6]. Pharmacokinetic studies have shown that substantial amounts of ingested GHB resist its metabolism [4][5][6].…”

“…GHB overdose is reported to produce vomiting, cardiopulmonary depression, seizure, coma, and even death [1][2][3]. Although GHB is rapidly eliminated from the body, a small portion of the unchanged drug (approximately 1%) is excreted into urine within 8 h after dosing [4][5][6]. On the basis of clinical observations, daily doses of GHB of 50-100 mg/kg may improve the withdrawal symptoms of alcohol-dependent patients [4,5].…”

“…On the basis of clinical observations, daily doses of GHB of 50-100 mg/kg may improve the withdrawal symptoms of alcohol-dependent patients [4,5]. However, 5-10 g of GHB can be toxic or even fatal; there is only a narrow margin between the doses for pharmacological and toxic effects for this drug [3,6]. The physical and psychological effects of GHB are largely dose dependent, but they are 1 3 greatly influenced by the general health of the users and abusers [2,3].…”

“…Identification and quantification of GHB is usually performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) [2,[4][5][6][7]. In this analysis, GHB is converted to a volatile substance, γ-butyrolactone, by treatment with strong acid, and then subjected to GC-MS.…”

Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault and That the Problems in Turkey

“…Hipnotiklerden zolpidem ve zopiclone için "Human plasma liguid choramotography/mass spectrometry" tekniği uygulanabilir [63,64]. Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) için; "gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS)" tekniği uygulanır [65][66][67]. GHB ve Morfin analizi için 20 cm uzunluğunda 2-3 cm çapında saç örneklemi yapılmalıdır [9,68].…”