HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (30) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Clauwaert, K. M. Articles by De Leenheer, A. P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Clauwaert, K. M. Articles by De Leenheer, A. P. Related Collections Drug Monitoring and Toxicology

Determination of the Designer Drugs 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, 3,4-Methylenedioxyethylamphetamine, and 3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine with HPLC and Fluorescence Detection in Whole Blood, Serum, Vitreous Humor, and Urine

¹ Laboratory of Toxicology and
² Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, Ghent University, Harelbekestraat 72, B-9000 Gent, Belgium.

³ Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Ghent University, J. Kluyskensstraat 29, B-9000 Gent, Belgium.
^a Author for correspondence. Fax 32-9-264-81-97; e-mail Andre.DeLeenheer{at}rug.ac.be

Background: The popular designer drugs 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and 3,4-methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDEA) can be determined in serum, whole blood, and urine, but also in vitreous humor. The latter matrix is interesting when dealing with decomposed bodies in a toxicological setting.

Methods: After extraction, chromatographic separation was achieved on a narrow-bore C₁₈ column by gradient elution with fluorometric detection; results were confirmed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Results: The method was linear over the range of 2–1000 µg/L for whole blood, serum, and vitreous humor, and 0.1–5 mg/L for urine. Extraction recoveries were >70%, imprecision (CV) was 2.5–19%, and analytical recoveries were 95.5–104.4%. The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.8 and 2 µg/L, respectively, for whole blood, serum, and vitreous humor, and 2.5 µg/L and 0.1 mg/L, respectively, for urine. Excellent correlations between the quantitative LC-fluorescence and LC-MS/MS results were obtained. We found the following concentrations in a thanatochemical distribution study in rabbits: in serum, 5.3–685 µg/L for MDMA and from the LOQ to 14.5 µg/L for 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA); in whole blood, 19.7–710 µg/L for MDMA and from the LOQ to 17.8 µg/L for MDA; in vitreous humor, 12.1–97.8 µg/L for MDMA and from the LOQ to 3.86 µg/L for MDA. In routine toxicological urine samples, concentrations ranged from LOQ to 14.62 mg/L for MDA, from LOQ to 157 mg/L for MDMA, and from LOQ to 32.54 mg/L for MDEA.

Conclusions: The HPLC method described is sensitive, specific, and suitable for the determination of MDMA, MDEA, and MDA in whole blood, serum, vitreous humor, and urine.

The following articles in journals at HighWire Press have cited this article:

				S. O. Pirnay, T. T. Abraham, and M. A. Huestis Sensitive Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Method for Simultaneous Measurement of MDEA, MDMA, and Metabolites HMA, MDA, and HMMA in Human Urine Clin. Chem., September 1, 2006; 52(9): 1728 - 1734. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]