Detection and determination of abused hallucinogens in biological material.

OBJECTIVES: Until recently, routine toxicological analysis of some hallucinogens in biological material posed problems which were only resolved after the introduction of modern analytic systems into toxicological laboratories. The most frequent hallucinogens in clinical and forensic toxicology can be grouped as: cannabinoids, tropane alkaloids, N,N-dimethyltryptamine derivatives and synthetic or semisynthetic hallucinogens. METHODS & RESULTS: There are several methods currently used for their analysis. Immunoassay analysis of abused hallucinogens is limited to the cannabinoids. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) is able to detect higher concentrations of 1-nor-delta- 9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (THC-COOH), tropane alkaloids (atropine and scopolamine) and ketamine (synthetic hallucinogen) in urine but for lower concentrations and for some other substances it lacks sensitivity. A reliable solution to the demand for specific and sensitive analysis of hallucinogens in biological material is gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Thus, at present, analysis of cannabinoids, tropane alkaloids, ketamine as well as psilocin (N,N-dimethyltryptamine derivative) is well-managed. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of GC-MS systems appears to be indispensable for satisfactory qualitative and quantitative analysis of drugs of abuse, particularly hallucinogens in biological material.

Possibilities and problems with identification and determination of "new" hypnotics.

Authors discuss problems with identification and determination of flunitrazepam and zolpidem in biological material (BM). Over the recent years, these two structurally different substances have become the most frequently used as well as abused hypnotic drugs. This study presents applicability of immunochemical methods in the screening of flunitrazepam, one of the most commonly prescribed drugs among the benzodiazepines. Herein described techniques, a liquid-liquid (L-L) extraction, solid phase extraction (SPE) and the so-called "freeze out" method are used for isolation of the above mentioned compounds from BM. Besides the thin layer chromatography (TLC) and gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) applied in qualitative analysis, the study also describes a gas chromatography with electron capture detector (GC-ECD) and gas chromatography with nitrogen phosphorus detector (GC-NPD) optimized for the determination of flunitrazepam and zolpidem in blood (serum). Successful analyses of these two substances are of major importance, especially in interpreting the results of forensic toxicological examinations.