Gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric detection of narcotine, papaverine, and thebaine in seeds of Papaver somniferum.

In addition to codeine and morphine, three more compounds: narcotine (noscapine), papaverine, and thebaine were found in Indian and Netherlands poppy seeds (Papaver somniferum L). The compounds were detected by a GC/MS technique and the identities were confirmed by comparing retention times and ion ratios with the known references. The concentrations of codeine, morphine, thebaine, papaverine, and narcotine were 44, 167, 41, 67, and 230 micrograms/g in Indian poppy seeds, and were 1.8, 39, 1.0, 0.17, 0.84 micrograms/g in Netherlands poppy seeds, respectively. Because these compounds may be urinary products after poppy seed consumption, the lowest detectable concentrations of codeine, morphine, thebaine, papaverine, and narcotine in urine are of interest and were found to be 4, 4, 5, 0.4, and 4 ng/ml, respectively. The detection of urinary narcotine, papaverine, or thebaine may be utilized to differentiate poppy seed consumption from illicit codeine, morphine, or heroin use.

One-step esterification of benzoylecgonine with dimethylformamide-dipropylacetal or dimethylformamide-diisopropylacetal in the presence of pyridine.

A simple procedure was developed to derivatize benzoylecgonine extracted from urine for subsequent confirmation by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The compound was esterified with dimethylformamide-dipropylacetal (DMF-DPA) or dimethylformamide-diisopropylacetal (DMF-DIPA) to the corresponding propyl and isopropyl esters. The optimum reaction condition was found to be heating the reaction mixture in the presence of pyridine at 100 degrees C for 30 min. The procedure is a one-step esterification followed by evaporation of excess reagents. When benzoylecgonine was extracted from urine using a solid-phase extraction technique and derivatized with this procedure, the compound was detected at a level as low as 10 ng/mL. Quantitation was linear over the concentration range 10-8000 ng/mL.

Cholinesterase activity in postmortem blood as a screening test for organophosphate/chemical weapon exposure.

This study was undertaken to determine whether postmortem blood cholinesterase activity could be used as a screening test for exposure to nerve agents. Whole blood cholinesterase activity at 25 degrees C was analyzed for a one week period in order to simulate the battle field collection problems of: hemolyzed blood samples, delayed recovery of the specimen, and unrefrigerated transfer to the testing facility. A total of 53 nonpreserved post-mortem whole blood specimens were analyzed in triplicate for cholinesterase activity by the delta pH method of Michel. There was a negligible loss of cholinesterase activity by the seventh day of the study. The enzyme activities of the specimens had a mean value (range) of 0.48 (0.20 to 0.74) initially and 0.45 (0.07 to 0.70) pH units after one week. Whole blood from five healthy adults remained essentially unchanged during this period, with an initial value 0.59 (0.52 to 0.67) and a final value of 0.52 (0.46 to 0.62) pH units. To compare postmortem and simulated nerve agent values, aliquots from 18 of the original 53 postmortem specimens were frozen during day one of the study, thawed on day seven and a cholinesterase inhibitor added. These specimens were then analyzed with the other specimens. All values from inhibited specimens were essentially zero (0.0 to 0.01) pH units compared to a range of 0.07 to 0.61 pH units for matched, uninhibited, day seven postmortem specimens. Fifteen actual nonpreserved specimens from the battlefield were analyzed as verification of screen performance. Their results fell within the uninhibited postmortem range above.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)