Determination of hydroxy metabolites of cocaine from hair samples and comparison with street cocaine samples

Franz, Thomas; Scheufler, Frank; Stein, Klaus; Uhl, Michaël; Dame, Torsten; Schwarz, Gerlinde; Sachs, Hans; Skopp, Gisela; Mußhoff, Frank

doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2018.04.007

Cited by 23 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…These findings have prompted recent efforts to quantify hydroxy‐cocainics in hair for additional discriminatory power against false‐positives . Metabolite profiles from 142 seized COC samples have demonstrated the presence of para‐, meta‐, and ortho‐hydroxycocaine (p‐, m‐, and o‐OH‐COC).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, p‐ and m‐OH‐BZE were not detected in seizedCOC samples and may prove robust markers of active COC use. However, their detection in COC‐positive hair was limited to 65% and 63% of cases, respectively, using a highly sensitive hair analysis method . Consequently, hair collected from occasional COC users is less likely to be positive for hydroxy‐cocainics, limiting their interpretive utility.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…55 65% and 63% of cases, respectively, using a highly sensitive hair analysis method. 56 Consequently, hair collected from occasional COC users is less likely to be positive for hydroxy-cocainics, limiting their interpretive utility.…”

Section: Implications For Forensic Hair Analysis and Future Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A systematic investigation of forensic hair decontamination procedures and their limitations

Mantinieks

Wright

Rago

et al. 2019

Drug Testing and Analysis

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The effectiveness of decontamination procedures used for the removal of external drug contamination in forensic hair analysis is an ongoing debate. This investigation evaluated wash methods complying with Society of Hair Testing (SoHT) guidelines and their capacity to remove cocaine (COC) and methamphetamine (MA) from artificially contaminated hair. The most effective decontamination method was determined using a systematic approach, involving (1) an initial washing solvent screen, (2) optimization of wash duration, (3) comparison of sequential wash methods, and (4) reanalysis of clinical hair samples. For analysis, hair was subjected to micro‐pulverized methanolic extraction prior to quantitation by ultra‐high performance liquid chromatography−tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC−MS/MS). Methanol (MeOH) and 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 6) were the most effective organic and aqueous solvents, respectively, removing 28%–38% of COC and 16%–31% of MA. Wash durations longer than 30–60 minutes did not remove additional amounts, and a more efficient sequential wash method was subsequently developed. Despite this, the interpretation of reportable results relative to the SoHT cut‐off levels was unchanged for most clinical hair samples reanalyzed after washing by agitation for 30 minutes with MeOH. These findings highlight the inability of decontamination solvents to completely remove external COC and MA contamination from hair, including wash methods adhering to SoHT guidelines.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A systematic investigation of forensic hair decontamination procedures and their limitations

Mantinieks

Wright

Rago

et al. 2019

Drug Testing and Analysis

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“…Studies with reported MD ratios or studies in which the calculation of MD ratios were possible were included. The MD ratios of drugs of abuse that are not legal pharmaceuticals and their metabolites were excluded from the present review as they have previously been explored in detail [10][11][12][13]. In addition, non-marketed pharmaceuticals were excluded.…”

Section: Study Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…MD ratios of drugs of abuse in hair have frequently been reported [10][11][12][13], but the literature is still very limited regarding pharmaceuticals in hair. Despite this, a wide range of pharmaceuticals is commonly encountered in postmortem and forensic toxicology cases [14,15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Systematic Review of Metabolite-to-Drug Ratios of Pharmaceuticals in Hair for Forensic Investigations

2021

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After ingestion, consumed drugs and their metabolites are incorporated into hair, which has a long detection window, ranging up to months. Therefore, in addition to conventional blood and urine analyses, hair analysis can provide useful information on long-term drug exposure. Meta-bolite-to-drug (MD) ratios are helpful in interpreting hair results, as they provide useful information on drug metabolism and can be used to distinguish drug use from external contamination, which is otherwise a limitation in hair analysis. Despite this, the MD ratios of a wide range of pharmaceuticals have scarcely been explored. This review aims to provide an overview of MD ratios in hair in a range of pharmaceuticals of interest to forensic toxicology, such as antipsychotic drugs, antidepressant drugs, benzodiazepines, common opiates/opioids, etc. The factors influencing the ratio were evaluated. MD ratios of 41 pharmaceuticals were reported from almost 100 studies. MD ratios below 1 were frequently reported, indicating higher concentrations of the parent pharmaceutical than of its metabolite in hair, but wide-ranging MD ratios of the majority of pharmaceuticals were found. Intra- and interindividual differences and compound properties were variables possibly contributing to this. This overview presents guidance for future comparison and evaluation of MD ratios of pharmaceuticals.

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Establishing effective interpretation criteria in hair analysis to distinguish between passive and active cocaine exposure: Insights from authentic hair samples collected from professional individuals exposed to cocaine

Ramírez Fernández,

Wille,

Meert

et al. 2024

Drug Testing and Analysis

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Interpretation results of hair analysis, particularly for cocaine, can be challenging due to the need to differentiate between active use or passive contamination. Our study aimed to assess the impact of varying degrees of passive cocaine exposure hair analysis results and their interpretation. Hair samples (n = 25) were categorized based on the declared cocaine exposure of volunteers: (a) high, involving handling up to several kilograms of cocaine powder from dismantling illegal distribution sites; (b) medium, where staff dealt with cocaine blocks (up to kilograms); and (c) low, with staff in contact with up to grams of cocaine for laboratory analysis. Hair samples were decontaminated using dichloromethane, water, and methanol. The samples and final wash were analyzed for cocaine, benzoylecgonine, norcocaine, cocaethylene, m‐OH‐benzoylecgonine, and ecgonine methyl ester using a validated UPLC‐MS/MS method. Cocaine hair concentrations ranges were as follows (pg/mg): high (n = 53 segments) < LLOQ(32)‐7046; medium (n = 91) < LLOQ‐939; and low (n = 54) < LLOQ‐292. All hair samples had concentrations below the LLOQ for cocaethylene, ecgonine methyl ester, and m‐OH‐benzoylecgonine. Applying the SoHT cocaine cut‐off in combination with a hair/wash ratio criterion identified 97% of the samples as contaminated. This study advocates for a comprehensive approach in evaluating cocaine hair concentrations. This involves integrating the 500 pg/mg decision limit for cocaine with a criterion comparing wash and hair concentration. Additionally, confirming the presence of specific metabolites is crucial. This multifaceted method effectively distinguishes between environmental contamination and active cocaine usage. The research contributes significantly to refining cocaine exposure assessment in professional contexts.

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Determination of hydroxy metabolites of cocaine from hair samples and comparison with street cocaine samples

Cited by 23 publications

References 8 publications

A systematic investigation of forensic hair decontamination procedures and their limitations

A systematic investigation of forensic hair decontamination procedures and their limitations

A Systematic Review of Metabolite-to-Drug Ratios of Pharmaceuticals in Hair for Forensic Investigations

Establishing effective interpretation criteria in hair analysis to distinguish between passive and active cocaine exposure: Insights from authentic hair samples collected from professional individuals exposed to cocaine

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