Determination of a newly encountered designer drug "p-methoxyethylamphetamine" and its metabolites in human urine and blood

Forensic Sci Int. 2008 May 2;177(1):77-84. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2007.11.001. Epub 2007 Dec 21.

Abstract

A newly synthesized designer drug, para-methoxyethylamphetamine (PMEA) was unexpectedly detected in the postmortem specimens of fatality involving drug intoxication in 2005, Japan. For unequivocal identification, the isomeric discrimination of PMEA and its positional-isomers was performed by GC/MS with the trifluoroacetylation. In order to prove the intake of PMEA, the characteristic metabolites of PMEA were also identified by GC/MS analysis of the urine specimen with trifluoroacetylation. As a result, para-methoxyamphetamine, para-hydroxyethylamphetamine (POHEA) and para-hydroxyamphetamine were identified as the major metabolites of PMEA. For the quantitative analyses of PMEA and its three metabolites in body fluids, an automated column-switching LC/MS procedure was developed, and applied to the postmortem blood and urine specimens. In this fatal case, blood concentration of PMEA was estimated to be 12.2 microg/mL and this level seemed extremely high in comparison with lethal blood-levels of its analogues, representing acute-intoxication of the victim. Based on the quantitative results, PMEA was found to be extensively metabolized to POHEA via O-demethylation, partly followed by its conjugation.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Amphetamines / blood*
  • Amphetamines / urine*
  • Central Nervous System Stimulants / blood*
  • Central Nervous System Stimulants / urine*
  • Designer Drugs / pharmacokinetics*
  • Forensic Toxicology
  • Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Methamphetamine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Methamphetamine / blood
  • Methamphetamine / urine

Substances

  • Amphetamines
  • Central Nervous System Stimulants
  • Designer Drugs
  • 4-methoxymethamphetamine
  • Methamphetamine
  • 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyethylamphetamine