Coca Tea and Urinalysis for Cocaine Metabolites

ElSohly, Mahmoud A.; Stanford, Donald F.; ElSohly, Hala N.

doi:10.1093/jat/10.6.256

Cited by 33 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The two subjects reported 'mild, generalized stimulant effects, indistinguishable from the effects of two cups of coffee...' [4]. These previous studies have several shortcomings including: no indication of the specific origin of the coca tea utilized or determination of alkaloidal content [3]; no description of how the coca tea was prepared [2]; and assaying a limited number of alkaloids (cocaine and/or benzoylecgonine only) following coca tea consumption [2,3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, benzoylecgonine was detected in the urine of some coca tea drinkers by gas chromatography with nitrogen phosphorus detection and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). In a second study, benzoylecgonine was measured by GC/MS in urine specimens for 29 h following consumption of one cup of Health Inca tea [2]. Peak benzoylecgonine concentrations occurred 2 h after ingestion and decreased to 274 ng/ml by 22 h. The total amount of benzoylecgonine excreted after 29 h was 0.82 mg.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We performed a comprehensive study utilizing coca tea bags from Peru and Bolivia, with the following three objectives: (1) to identify and measure the major coca alkaloids in coca tea bags; (2) to determine the amounts of cocaine and cocaine analogs that are transferred to the aqueous phase during the tea making process; and (3) to determine the urinary excretion profile of cocaine and benzoylecgonine following the consumption of coca tea.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Identification and quantitation of alkaloids in coca tea

Jenkins

Llosa

Montoya

et al. 1996

Forensic Science International

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The consumption of coca tea is a common occurrence in many South American countries. The tea is often packaged in individual servings as tea bags which contain approximately 1 g of plant material. The consumption of coca tea leads to ingestion of cocaine and other alkaloids: however, there is little information available regarding the pharmacological or toxicological effects that result from consumption of coca tea. We performed a series of studies with coca tea bags from two South American countries, Peru and Bolivia. The alkaloidal content of the 'coca leaf' in coca tea bags was determined by two different extraction methods: Soxhlet extraction with methanol (exhaustive extraction), and mechanical agitation with methanol. Extracts were purified by solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Coca tea prepared from Peruvian and Bolivian coca tea bags was also analyzed by SPE-GC/MS assay. In addition, urine specimens were analyzed from an individual who consumed one cup of Peruvian coca tea and one cup of Bolivian coca tea on separate occasions. Urine samples were analyzed by immunoassay (TDx R ) and SPE-GC/MS. Analysis of coca tea bags and coca tea indicated that cocaine, benzoylecgonine, ecgonine methyl ester and trans-cinnamoylcocaine were present in varying quantities. With exhaustive extraction, an average of 5.11 mg, and 4.86 mg of cocaine per tea bag were found in coca leaf from Peru and Bolivia, respectively. The average amounts of benzoylecgonine and ecgonine methyl ester in Peruvian coca leaf were 0.11 and 1.15 mg, and in Bolivian coca leaf were 0.12 and 2.93 mg per tea bag, respectively. trans-Cinnamoylcocaine was found in trace amounts in Peruvian tea bags and 0.16 mg/tea bag of Bolivian tea. When tea was prepared, an average of 4.14 mg of cocaine was present in a cup of Peruvian coca tea and 4.29 mg of cocaine was present in Bolivian tea. Following the consumption of a cup of Peruvian tea by one individual, a peak urine benzoylecgonine concentration of 3940 ng/ml occurred 10 h after ingestion. Consumption of Bolivian coca tea resulted in a peak benzoylecgonine concentration of 4979 ng/ml at 3.5 h. The cumulative urinary excretion of benzoylecgonine after approximately 48 h, determined by GC/MS, was 3.11 mg and 2.69 mg after consumption of Peruvian and Bolivian coca tea, respectively. This study demonstrated that coca tea bags and coca tea contain a significant amount of cocaine and cocaine-related alkaloids and the consumption of a single cup of Peruvian or Bolivian coca tea produces positive drug test results for cocaine metabolites.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Identification and quantitation of alkaloids in coca tea

Jenkins

Llosa

Montoya

et al. 1996

Forensic Science International

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…4 Cocaine-positive urine samples were found also after exposure to small amounts of the drug via the oral route. 5 These findings are indicative of the problems that toxicologists and forensic scientists could face when interpreting data of cocaine metabolite contents in urine.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determination of the highest no‐effect dose (HNED) and of the elimination pattern for cocaine in horses

Queiroz-Neto

Zamur

Neto

et al. 2002

J of Applied Toxicology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Cocaine is one of the most widespread illegal stimulants utilized by the human population throughout the world. The aim of this study was to establish the highest no-effect dose (HNED) of cocaine on the spontaneous locomotor activity (SLA) of horses in a behavior chamber, and thereby to determine the maximal acceptable threshold of the urinary drug concentration in horses. Twelve English thoroughbred mares received 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.08 or 0.12 mg kg(-1) cocaine i.v. or saline solution (control). It was noted that doses above 0.04 mg kg(-1) induced a significant increase in SLA (P < 0.05, Tukey's test). No significant increase in SLA was seen in the mares that received 0.03 mg kg(-1), but the animals showed important behavioral changes that did not occur after the 0.02 mg kg(-1) dose. It was concluded that the HNED of cocaine for horses in a behavior chamber is 0.02 mg kg(-1). After injection of this dose in five horses, urine samples were collected at predetermined intervals through vesical catheterization. The concentrations of cocaine, norcocaine, benzoylecgonine and ecgonine methyl ester were quantified by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Cocaine and norcocaine concentrations remained consistently below the level of detection. Benzoylecgonine reached a mean (+/- SEM) maximum concentration of 531.9 +/- 168.7 ng ml(-1) after 4 h, whereas ecgonine methyl ester peaked 2 h after injection at a concentration of 97.2 +/- 26.5 ng ml(-1). The maximum admissible concentration for cocaine and/or metabolites in the urine of horses is difficult to establish unequivocally because of the substantial individual variation in the drug elimination pattern observed in horses, which can be inferred by the large standard error of the means obtained.

show abstract

“…Many defendants claimed unknowing ingestion of cocaine through food or beverages, dermal absorption or passive inhalation of smoke. Claims of oral ingestion had some credence, because benzoylecgonine was detected in urine up to 29 h after one cup of Health Inca Tea 8,9 (C max 1274 ng ml 1 ). Each tea bag contained 2.15 mg of extractable cocaine.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%