Analysis of drugs of abuse in Cerumen ‐ correlation of postmortem analysis results with those for blood, urine and hair

Meier, Sylvia; Koelzer, Sarah C.; Schubert‐Zsilavecz, Manfred; Toennes, Stefan W.

doi:10.1002/dta.2177

Cited by 22 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Further studies were extended to using post-mortem cerumen samples for detection of drugs of abuse, which may be correlated with the cause of death as opiates, amphetamine and derivatives, cocaine, methadone and/or derivatives ( 79 ). Samples were collected using cotton swabs, dried at room temperature for 24 hours before extraction and analysis by (liquid chromatography/time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-TOF MS) and LC-MS/MS ( 79 ).…”

Section: Cerumen and Implications To Health Diagnostics And Forensicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights into cerumen and application in diagnostics: past, present and future prospective

Shokry

Filho

2017

Biochemia Medica

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Cerumen or earwax is an emerging bio-fluid in clinical diagnosis that has been very little exploited during the past decades in spite of its high diagnostic potential. It is highly abundant in diagnostic biomarkers such as genetic material, lipids, proteins, chemical elements, internal and external metabolites (e.g. hormones, volatile organic compounds, amino acids, xenobiotics etc.) reaching earwax from the blood circulation. Thus, it is able to reflect not only physiology, pathophysiology of the human body but can also detect recent and long term exposure to environmental pollutants, without the need of invasive blood tests and in the same time overcoming many disadvantages faced by using other diagnostic biological fluids. This review discusses the biology, functions, chemistry of earwax, past and current approaches for the study of its chemical composition, emphasizing how a detected variation in its composition can offer information of high clinical value, which can be useful in diagnosis of many diseases such as metabolic disorders and tumours as well as in forensic applications. It also presents details about techniques of sample collection, storage, and analysis. Moreover, it highlights concerns about the use of earwax for diagnostic purposes, which should be addressed to make earwax diagnostics a reality in the future.

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Section: Cerumen and Implications To Health Diagnostics And Forensicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights into cerumen and application in diagnostics: past, present and future prospective

Shokry

Filho

2017

Biochemia Medica

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“…The maximum amount of a cerumen sample was less than 10 mg, whereas easily 20 mg or more of hair samples can be used for the analysis. However, in 38 deceased drug users, the presence of amphetamine, cocaine, opiates, and methadone was reliably detected, 4 assuming recent and, also to a certain extent, past use. To further characterize cerumen for forensic toxicological analysis, controlled studies are essential.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of 4‐fluoroamphetamine in cerumen after controlled oral application

Meier

Petzel‐Witt

Schubert‐Zsilavecz

et al. 2020

Drug Testing and Analysis

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Cerumen was found to be a promising alternative specimen for the detection of drugs. In a pilot study, drugs of abuse were identified at a higher detection rate and a longer detection window in cerumen than in urine. In this study, cerumen from subjects was analyzed after they ingested the designer stimulant 4‐fluoroamphetamine (4‐FA) in a controlled manner. Methods Twelve subjects ingested placebo and 100 mg of 4‐FA. Five of them were also given 150 mg of 4‐FA in 150 mL Royal Club bitter lemon drink at least after 7 days. Cerumen was sampled using cotton swabs at baseline, 1 h after the ingestion of the drug and at the end of the study day (12 h). After extraction with ethyl acetate followed by solid‐phase extraction, the extracts were analyzed using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Results and discussion In the cerumen of all 12 subjects, 4‐FA was detected 12 h after its ingestion; in most subjects, cerumen was detected after 1 h of ingestion, ranging from 0.06 to 13.90 (median 1.52) ng per swab. The detection of 4‐FA in cerumen sampled 7 days or more after the first dose suggested a long detection window of cerumen. Conclusions Cerumen can be successfully used to detect a single drug ingestion even immediately after the ingestion when a sufficient amount of cerumen is used.

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“…However, the invasive procedure necessary for its sampling has been pointed as a pitfall. The common alternative is the analysis of urine, applied successfully in workplace drug testing and in abstinence control programs [275,276,277]. Although the presence of certain drugs of abuse or their metabolites in urine can be interpreted as evidence of relatively recent exposure, this does not apply for cannabis [278].…”

Section: Challenges In the Determination Of Secondary Metabolites mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These reasons justified the extensive application of this biological fluid to determine cannabinoids [281,282,283,284,285]. However, the risk of contamination from residual drug in the mouth might not allow this correlation hence this biological specimen has not received broader acceptance to date [272,276]. In addition, its collection may be thwarted by lack of sample available for analysis caused by physiological, or drug itself factors [286].…”

Section: Challenges In the Determination Of Secondary Metabolites mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cannabis and Its Secondary Metabolites: Their Use as Therapeutic Drugs, Toxicological Aspects, and Analytical Determination

et al. 2019

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Although the medicinal properties of Cannabis species have been known for centuries, the interest on its main active secondary metabolites as therapeutic alternatives for several pathologies has grown in recent years. This potential use has been a revolution worldwide concerning public health, production, use and sale of cannabis, and has led inclusively to legislation changes in some countries. The scientific advances and concerns of the scientific community have allowed a better understanding of cannabis derivatives as pharmacological options in several conditions, such as appetite stimulation, pain treatment, skin pathologies, anticonvulsant therapy, neurodegenerative diseases, and infectious diseases. However, there is some controversy regarding the legal and ethical implications of their use and routes of administration, also concerning the adverse health consequences and deaths attributed to marijuana consumption, and these represent some of the complexities associated with the use of these compounds as therapeutic drugs. This review comprehends the main secondary metabolites of Cannabis, approaching their therapeutic potential and applications, as well as their potential risks, in order to differentiate the consumption as recreational drugs. There will be also a focus on the analytical methodologies for their analysis, in order to aid health professionals and toxicologists in cases where these compounds are present.

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Analysis of drugs of abuse in Cerumen ‐ correlation of postmortem analysis results with those for blood, urine and hair

Cited by 22 publications

References 24 publications

Insights into cerumen and application in diagnostics: past, present and future prospective

Insights into cerumen and application in diagnostics: past, present and future prospective

Analysis of 4‐fluoroamphetamine in cerumen after controlled oral application

Cannabis and Its Secondary Metabolites: Their Use as Therapeutic Drugs, Toxicological Aspects, and Analytical Determination

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