Preliminary Analysis of Methamphetamine Detection in Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Reared in Methamphetamine-Treated Meat at Various Developmental Stages.

Background: It is possible to identify drugs and poisons present in cadavers by analyzing blowfly larvae and pupae collected during forensic autopsies. The main purpose of this study was to use Lucilia sericata's larvae and pupae to identify drugs and poisons present in human cadavers. Methods: In an investigation, immature L. sericata fed meat treated with methamphetamine (MA) at various concentrations (45, 90, and 180 ng/mg) were analyzed to detect MA. Acetylation derivatization and liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) were used as sample preparation methods prior to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analytical instrumentation to find MA. Results: According to this study, L. sericata can be used in toxicological testing to identify MA in a host body. All L. sericata larval stages, particularly the third stage larva, pupa and empty pupa tested were positive for MA. Larvae in their first instar produced weak peaks. The L. sericata post-feeding instar following the 45 ng/mg treatment showed the highest MA concentration. For the first time, derivatization using the acetylation approach was used to prepare samples, and successfully, excellent results were obtained. Conclusion: Low quantities of MA can be easily found in immature fly samples using GC-MS. It is important to analyze all samples including human tissues and insect samples, for postmortem drug testing. They can be utilized to find entire MA before they are excreted in excretory samples such as urine. Also, third instar larvae are a great and reliable sample for toxicological study.

Determination of synthetic pharmaceutical adulterants in herbal weight gain supplements sold in herb shops, Tehran, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Nowadays with the growing popularity of herbal remedies across the world, large sections of population rely on herbal drug practitioners for their primary care. Therefore there is a need to ensure about the safety of herbal drugs and to detect adulteration with undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients. Herbal drugs are used as first-line drug therapy in some instances. Unfortunately even if there are claims as to be natural, undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients have been detected in these supplements. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to analyse herbal weight gain drugs collected from herb shops located in Tehran, Iran to detect hidden pharmaceutical ingredients using UHPLC and GC/MS instrumentations. METHODS: Sixty herbal drugs advertised as weight gain supplements were gathered from herb shops Tehran province, Iran. All samples were analysed from analytical toxicology point of view to detect undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients. Method was validated for quantitative analysis of cyproheptadine and dexamethasone. RESULTS: Method validity parameters showed good results for quantitative analysis of pharmaceutical ingredients. Cyproheptadine, dexamethasone, sildenafil, tramadol, caffeine and acetaminophen were detected in herbal weight gain drugs. Analysed dosage forms contained cyproheptadine and dexamethasone in concentrations higher than therapeutic doses. Quantitative analysis of contaminated drugs showed that the content of pharmacologic ingredients were 0.2-67 and 5.5-10.1 mg/tablet or capsule for cyproheptadine and dexamethasone respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Despite natural supplements producers' claim, herbal weight gain drugs were not natural at all. Undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients can predispose patients to health problems and even life-threatening situations. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Quantitative analysis of benzodiazepines in vitreous humor by high-performance liquid chromatography.

OBJECTIVE: Benzodiazepines are frequently screened drugs in emergency toxicology, drugs of abuse testing, and in forensic cases. As the variations of benzodiazepines concentrations in biological samples during bleeding, postmortem changes, and redistribution could be biasing forensic medicine examinations, hence selecting a suitable sample and a validated accurate method is essential for the quantitative analysis of these main drug categories. The aim of this study was to develop a valid method for the determination of four benzodiazepines (flurazepam, lorazepam, alprazolam, and diazepam) in vitreous humor using liquid-liquid extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography. METHODS: Sample preparation was carried out using liquid-liquid extraction with n-hexane: ethyl acetate and subsequent detection by high-performance liquid chromatography method coupled to diode array detector. This method was applied to quantify benzodiazepines in 21 authentic vitreous humor samples. Linear curve for each drug was obtained within the range of 30-3000 ng/mL with coefficient of correlation higher than 0.99. RESULTS: The limit of detection and quantitation were 30 and 100 ng/mL respectively for four drugs. The method showed an appropriate intra- and inter-day precision (coefficient of variation < 10%). Benzodiazepines recoveries were estimated to be over 80%. The method showed high selectivity; no additional peak due to interfering substances in samples was observed. CONCLUSION: The present method was selective, sensitive, accurate, and precise for the quantitative analysis of benzodiazepines in vitreous humor samples in forensic toxicology laboratory.

Current trends in tramadol-related fatalities, Tehran, Iran 2005-2008.

Tramadol is a widely prescribed drug. Abuse of tramadol as well as tramadol-related deaths have been increasing in Iran. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the trends of tramadol-related deaths that occurred between 2005 and 2008 in Tehran, Iran. Biological samples obtained during the autopsy were analyzed. Tramadol was detected in 294 cases by itself or together with other drugs. The majority of the cases were young male adults. Tramadol-related deaths in 2008 were 32.5 times more than in 2005. These results suggest that tramadol-related fatalities are growing in Iran especially among substance abusers.

Chemical profile of counterfeit buprenorphine vials seized in Tehran, Iran.

Buprenorphine, commonly known by the trademark Temgesic, is one of the most popular drugs of abuse among the opioid-addicted young individuals in Iran. Temgesic, Bungesic, etc. are the most popular and important illicit opioid drugs in Tehran's illicit drugs black market, and are now among the most widely abused by opioid addicts. Because of this, counterfeiting of this drug has increased in Tehran. In this study, the qualitative analysis of counterfeit buprenorphine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) demonstrates the presence of diacetylmorphine, acetylcodeine and pheniramine, as well as the absence of buprenorphine. In conclusion, due to the absence of quality control and difficulties in differentiating counterfeit buprenorphine from genuine products, the use of counterfeit buprenorphine leads the opioid abusers to health risks.