Metabolite Analysis in Forensic Toxicology Volume II

A special issue of Metabolites (ISSN 2218-1989). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmacology and Drug Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 8196

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department Clinical and Forensic Toxicology, MVZ Dr. Stein und Kollegen GbR Mönchengladbach, 41169 Mönchengladbach, Germany
Interests: chromatography; mass spectrometry; drugs of abuse; gamma hydroxy butyric acid; synthetic cannabinoids; enantioselective analysis
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The field of Forensic Toxicology has developed enormously over the last few decades. Methodical and technological developments in sample preparations, metabolite creation, analytical techniques (i.e., high-resolution mass spectrometry), data processing (i.e., metabolomics) and the examination of new sample specimens have generated previously unthinkable possibilities. Metabolite research reflects one of the most important fields in forensic toxicology, since metabolites of well-known and new psychoactive substances can assist in the interpretation of forensic cases in many ways, i.e., by allowing abuse to be detected, widening the detection window, allowing estimation of the time of use or by estimation of the pharmacological effect at the time of sampling.

This Special Issue of Metabolites, "Metabolite Analysis in Forensic Toxicology", will be dedicated to metabolite research within this field. Topics will include, but are not limited to: in vivo and in vitro techniques of metabolite synthesis; identification and/or quantification of metabolites with biological and/or forensic relevance, possibly in relation to the functional genomics (pharmacogenomics); the pharmacokinetics of drugs of abuse and their metabolites; pharmacological testing of metabolites; detection of metabolites in different matrices (i.e., hair analysis), forensic applications of the direct quantification of metabolites or untargeted metabolomic methods. Manuscripts dealing with other pertinent and challenging issues are also highly desired.

Dr. Cornelius Hess
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Metabolites is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • metabolites
  • metabolomics
  • drugs of abuse
  • new psychoactive substances
  • toxicology
  • pharmacogenomics
  • pharmakokinetics
  • high-resolution mass spectrometry

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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8 pages, 729 KiB  
Article
Manipulation of THC Hair Concentrations by Commercially Available Products
by Markus Bertges, Alexandra Ketikidou, Ralf Weiskirchen, Josef van Helden, Rudolf Boehnke and Cornelius Hess
Metabolites 2022, 12(10), 900; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo12100900 - 24 Sep 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2523
Abstract
Many drug tests are carried out by means of hair analysis. The aim of the present study was to clarify if and to what extent it is possible to manipulate the results of hair analyses on tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) by using various commercially available [...] Read more.
Many drug tests are carried out by means of hair analysis. The aim of the present study was to clarify if and to what extent it is possible to manipulate the results of hair analyses on tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) by using various commercially available everyday products and products advertised on the internet to be able to reduce the concentrations of drugs in hair. Fifty-four THC-positive hair samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry; they were analyzed untreated or treated with Vodka Gorbatschow® (n = 19), Seborin® hair tonic (n = 11), Zydot® shampoo (n = 6), Desderman® disinfectant (n = 11) and Head and Shoulders® shampoo (n = 7). A mean reduction of 52% (Zydot® shampoo) to 65% (Desderman®) was shown. Hair treatments could not be detected visually. Hair concentrations could also be decreased to non-detectability by using these everyday hair care products. Therefore, it is recommended to complement abstinence controls using hair samples by urine analysis and to not over-interpret quantitative results of THC concentrations in hair. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolite Analysis in Forensic Toxicology Volume II)
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18 pages, 7176 KiB  
Article
Serum Metabolomic Analysis of Male Patients with Cannabis or Amphetamine Use Disorder
by Fawaz Alasmari, Mohammed A. Assiri, Syed Rizwan Ahamad, Sahar R. Aljumayi, Wedad H. Alotaibi, Majd M. Alhamdan, Khalid Alhazzani, Metab Alharbi, Faleh Alqahtani and Abdullah F. Alasmari
Metabolites 2022, 12(2), 179; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo12020179 - 14 Feb 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2620
Abstract
Studies have demonstrated that chronic consumption of abused drugs induces alterations in several proteins that regulate metabolism. For instance, methamphetamine exposure reduces glucose levels. Fatty and amino acid levels were altered in groups exposed to abused drugs. Therefore, in our study, we investigated [...] Read more.
Studies have demonstrated that chronic consumption of abused drugs induces alterations in several proteins that regulate metabolism. For instance, methamphetamine exposure reduces glucose levels. Fatty and amino acid levels were altered in groups exposed to abused drugs. Therefore, in our study, we investigated the serum metabolomic profile of patients diagnosed with cannabis and/or amphetamine use disorders. Blood was obtained from subjects (control, amphetamine, and cannabis). Detection of serum metabolites was performed using gas chromatography. The ratio peak areas for metabolites were analyzed across the three groups. Both cannabis and amphetamine groups showed higher d-erythrotetrafuranose, octadecanoic acid, hexadecenoic acid, trans-9-octadecanoic acid, lactic acid and methyl thio hydantoin metabolites compared with the control group. Moreover, cannabis patients were found to possess higher glycine, 9,12 octadecanoic acid malonic acid, phosphoric acid and prostaglandin F1a than controls. Our analysis showed that the identified metabolic profile of cannabis or amphetamine use disorder patients was different than control group. Our data indicated that chronic exposure to cannabis or amphetamine dysregulated metabolites in the serum. Future studies are warranted to explore the effects of these abused drugs on the metabolic proteins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolite Analysis in Forensic Toxicology Volume II)
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Review

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13 pages, 278 KiB  
Review
Effects of the Storage Conditions on the Stability of Natural and Synthetic Cannabis in Biological Matrices for Forensic Toxicology Analysis: An Update from the Literature
by Elias Djilali, Lucia Pappalardo, Anna Maria Posadino, Roberta Giordo and Gianfranco Pintus
Metabolites 2022, 12(9), 801; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo12090801 - 27 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2437
Abstract
The use and abuse of cannabis, be it for medicinal or recreational purposes, is widely spread among the population. Consequently, a market for more potent and consequently more toxic synthetic cannabinoids has flourished, and with it, the need for accurate testing of these [...] Read more.
The use and abuse of cannabis, be it for medicinal or recreational purposes, is widely spread among the population. Consequently, a market for more potent and consequently more toxic synthetic cannabinoids has flourished, and with it, the need for accurate testing of these substances in intoxicated people. In this regard, one of the critical factors in forensic toxicology is the stability of these drugs in different biological matrices due to different storage conditions. This review aims to present the most updated and relevant literature of studies performed on the effects of different storage conditions on the stability of cannabis compounds present in various biological matrices, such as blood and plasma, urine, and oral fluids, as well as in alternative matrices, such as breath, bile fluid, hair, sweat, cerumen, and dried blood spots. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metabolite Analysis in Forensic Toxicology Volume II)
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