The potential of waters analysis in toxicology: a review of publications between 2019-2023

Comunicação apresentada no 10º Congresso Iberoamericano de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Coimbra, Outubro de 2023. Abstract da comunicação publicado na Acta Farmacêutica Portuguesa. vol. de Outubro 2023. ISSN 2182-3340.Introduction: Water quality-threats have been emerging over the years, presenting a devastating public health issue. The analysis of water from the standpoint of toxicology is essential for assessing the risks posed by contaminants, safeguarding human health and ecosystems, complying with regulations, and making informed decisions to manage and protect water resources. It enables a comprehensive understanding of the complex interactions between pollutants, organisms, and the environment. Thus, the present study aimed to explore descriptively which are the current most common extraction and detection techniques, as well as the tested analytes and types of waters. Methodology: To achieve this purpose, the Web of Science database was used to retrieve papers published from 2019 to 2023 (10th august 2023), with the search string “determination in water” for terms included in the title, abstract or keywords. Given the generality of the search’s thematic, only articles written in English and performing analyte extraction and detection in water samples were included. Results: Taking these criteria into consideration, 2962 articles were found from which 333 were considered. Articles were classified according to the type of paper, analysed water(s), detected analyte(s), and extraction and detection approaches. From the 306 original articles and the 27 reviews analysed, the majority assessed surface waters (195), followed by wastewaters (152), tap (60), drinking (29), rain (7) and hospital waters (5). Regarding analytes, pharmaceuticals (39%) and pollutants (34%) emerged as the main concerns, whereas heavy metals (14%), biomarkers (5%), substances from cosmetics (5%), illicit drugs (2%) and caffeine (2%) were less studied. Correlation between contaminants and type of water was also described (e.g., surface water and pharmaceuticals were detected 45%). The great majority of studies used solid-phase extraction (71%), while others chose miniaturized techniques (21%), liquid-liquid extraction (5%) or protein precipitation and direct injection (3%). Liquid chromatography (63%) was the most used instrumentation method, followed by gas chromatography and biosensors (both 12%), spectrophotometric methods and atomic absorption spectrometry (both 5%) and fluorometric methods (2%). Discussion and conclusions: In conclusion, considering the crucial role of water quality assessment in public health and safety, further investigation is needed in order to improve and optimize the existing approaches, taking into account the type of analyte and sample.N/

A review of publications in hair testing: 2020-2023

Comunicação apresentada no 27th Meeting of the Society of Hair Testing.Introduction and Aims: Since its first use until now, the relevance of hair in the toxicological expertise has evolved, mainly due to its advantages over traditional samples. Despite the fact that it is one of the most used alternative specimens, hair still presents important challenges. The objective of this study was to perform a bibliographic review of scientific publications on toxicological applications of hair testing between the years 2020 and 2023. Materials & Methods: The Scopus database was used for literature search, for papers published from 2020 to 2023 (10th April), and only articles written in English were considered. The search strings for terms included in the title, abstract or keywords were “hair testing” and “hair samples”. The papers were independently reviewed by four of the authors to determine their relevance in the context of this study. Results & Discussion: Taking into consideration these criteria and search strings, 218 articles were found, from which 18 were excluded since animal hair specimens had been used. The papers were classified according to type (e.g. review, research paper), analytes, extraction and clean-up approaches. Each paper could be placed under more than one category, except review papers (32 articles). Concerning analytes, the highest number of papers involved drugs of abuse (175, from which 45 involving new psychoactive substances), drugs (44) and alcohol biomarkers (17). Other biomarkers included hormones, endocannabinoids, etc. (44 papers, 25 of which involved cortisol). Most studies involve protein precipitation and direct injection (91), and only 12 studies address the issues of cosmetic treatments or drug adulterants. Conclusions: Hair testing is still mainly directed to the determination of drugs of abuse, and new psychoactive substances are still seldom included. Additionally, other applications are becoming more relevant, for instance the use of hair to determine biomarkers in some diseases.N/

Determinação da cocaína e metabolitos em águas residuais com recurso à extração em fase sólida e à cromatografia de gases acoplada à espectrometria de massa em tandem

Comunicação apresentada no 13º Encontro Nacional de Cromatografia, Lisboa, 17-19 dezembro, 2023.A cocaína (COC) é a segunda droga mais consumida na Europa, causando graves problemas de saúde pública, tendo contribuído para um aumento de overdoses fatais relacionadas com o consumo de drogas de abuso1. A análise de águas residuais (AR’s) para determinar o consumo de drogas tem-se tornado cada vez mais comum devido ao seu custo reduzido, elevadas precisão e confiabilidade, e por recorrer a uma matriz ambiental, não invasiva, que apresenta baixa probabilidade de adulteração. Neste estudo, foi desenvolvido e validado um método para determinar COC e os metabolitos ecgonina metil éster (EME), benzoilecgonina (BEG), cocaetileno (COET), e norcocaína (NCOC) em AR’s, utilizando extração em fase sólida (SPE) e cromatografia gasosa acoplada à espectrometria de massas em tandem (GC-MS/MS). O método foi otimizado e validado de acordo com as normas internacionais de validação. Foi obtida uma linearidade de 0,00625-5 ng/mL para todos os analitos, tendo sido obtidos coeficientes de determinação superiores 0,9990. O limite inferior de quantificação (LLOQ) para todos os compostos foi de 0,00625 ng/mL. As precisões e exatidão intra-dia, inter-dia e intermédias apresentaram coeficientes de variação abaixo de 15%, e uma exatidão de ±15% para todos os compostos analisados. Além disso, o procedimento permitiu alcançar recuperações entre 72% e 115%. Salienta-se que este procedimento é o primeiro método que utiliza a SPE, com cartuchos Strata TM-X-C, combinada com GC-MS/MS para a determinação de COC e metabolitos em AR’s. Este método torna-se então uma alternativa adequada para a monitorização da COC e dos seus metabolitos em amostras de AR’s, demonstrando elevada importância ambiental e forense.N/

Miniaturized solid phase extraction techniques applied to natural products

Natural products are increasingly becoming part of our daily lives through their use in industry, food, as therapeutic agents, etc. To evaluate their possible applications, it is essential to characterize them chemically to explore their potential. Different techniques may be used to characterize natural products, including microextraction techniques. These techniques have been gaining popularity due to the advantages associated with their low use of organic solvents and the small amount of sample used relative to more classical sample preparation techniques. Their application in the extraction of compounds from natural products is still scarce. This manuscript intends to review the most used solid-based miniaturized sample preparation techniques applied to determining compounds in natural products. The main applications of these methodologies will be discussed, with a particular focus on natural product analysis, as well as their advantages and disadvantages over traditionally used sample preparation techniques.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Miniaturized Solid Phase Extraction Techniques Applied to Natural Products

Natural products are increasingly becoming part of our daily lives through their use in industry, food, as therapeutic agents, etc. To evaluate their possible applications, it is essential to characterize them chemically to explore their potential. Different techniques may be used to characterize natural products, including microextraction techniques. These techniques have been gaining popularity due to the advantages associated with their low use of organic solvents and the small amount of sample used relative to more classical sample preparation techniques. Their application in the extraction of compounds from natural products is still scarce. This manuscript intends to review the most used solid-based miniaturized sample preparation techniques applied to determining compounds in natural products. The main applications of these methodologies will be discussed, with a particular focus on natural product analysis, as well as their advantages and disadvantages over traditionally used sample preparation techniques.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sensors in the Detection of Abused Substances in Forensic Contexts: A Comprehensive Review

orensic toxicology plays a pivotal role in elucidating the presence of drugs of abuse in both biological and solid samples, thereby aiding criminal investigations and public health initiatives. This review article explores the significance of sensor technologies in this field, focusing on diverse applications and their impact on the determination of drug abuse markers. This manuscript intends to review the transformative role of portable sensor technologies in detecting drugs of abuse in various samples. They offer precise, efficient, and real-time detection capabilities in both biological samples and solid substances. These sensors have become indispensable tools, with particular applications in various scenarios, including traffic stops, crime scenes, and workplace drug testing. The integration of portable sensor technologies in forensic toxicology is a remarkable advancement in the field. It has not only improved the speed and accuracy of drug abuse detection but has also extended the reach of forensic toxicology, making it more accessible and versatile. These advancements continue to shape forensic toxicology, ensuring swift, precise, and reliable results in criminal investigations and public health endeavours.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio