Multianalyte Sensing Of Addictive Over-the-counter (otc) Drugs

A supramolecular sensor array composed of two fluorescent cucurbit[n]uril-type receptors (probe 1 and probe 2) displaying complementary selectivities was tested for its ability to detect and quantify drug-related amines. The fluorimetric titration of the individual probes showed highly variable and cross-reactive analyte-dependent changes in fluorescence. An excellent ability to recognize a variety of analytes was demonstrated in qualitative as well as quantitative assays. Importantly, a successful quantitative analysis of several analytes of interest was achieved in mixtures and in human urine. The throughput and sensitivity surpass those of the current state-of-the-art methods that usually require analyte solid-phase extraction (SPE). These results open up the opportunity for new applications of cucurbit[n]uril-type receptors in sensing and pave the way for the development of simple high-throughput assays for various drugs in the near future

LC-MS/MS-Based Method for the Multiplex Detection of 24 Fentanyl Analogues and Metabolites in Whole Blood at Sub ng mL^–1 Concentrations

The United States and numerous other countries worldwide are currently experiencing a public health crisis due to the abuse of illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF) and its analogues. This manuscript describes the development of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry-based method for the multiplex detection of <i>N</i> = 24 IMF analogues and metabolites in whole blood at concentrations as low as 0.1–0.5 ng mL^–1. These available IMFs were fentanyl, norfentanyl, furanyl norfentanyl, remifentanil acid, butyryl norfentanyl, remifentanil, acetyl fentanyl, alfentanil, AH-7921, U-47700, acetyl fentanyl 4-methylphenethyl, acrylfentanyl, <i>para</i>-methoxyfentanyl, despropionyl fentanyl (4-ANPP), furanyl fentanyl, despropionyl <i>para</i>-fluorofentanyl, carfentanil, (±)-<i>cis</i>-3-methyl fentanyl, butyryl fentanyl, isobutyryl fentanyl, sufentanil, valeryl fentanyl, <i>para</i>-fluorobutyryl fentanyl, and <i>para</i>-fluoroisobutyryl fentanyl. Most IMF analogues (<i>N</i> = 22) could be easily distinguished from one another; the isomeric forms butyryl/isobutyryl fentanyl and <i>para</i>-fluorobutyryl/<i>para</i>-fluoroisobutyryl fentanyl could not be differentiated. <i>N</i> = 13 of these IMF analogues were quantified for illustrative purposes, and their forensic quality control standards were also validated for limit of detection (0.017–0.056 ng mL^–1), limit of quantitation (0.100–0.500 ng mL^–1), selectivity/sensitivity, ionization suppression/enhancement (87–118%), process efficiency (60–95%), recovery (64–97%), bias (<20%), and precision (>80%). This flexible, time- and cost-efficient method was successfully implemented at the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office/Miami Valley Regional Crime Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, where it aided in the analysis of <i>N</i> = 725 postmortem blood samples collected from February 2015 to November 2016

Trends in Fentanyl and Fentanyl Analogue-Related Overdose Deaths – Montgomery County, Ohio, 2015–2017

Introduction: There is a lack of information on illicitly manufactured fentanyl and fentanyl analogue-related (IMF) unintentional overdose death trends over time. The study analyzes IMF-related unintentional overdose fatalities that occurred between July 2015 and June 2017 in Montgomery County, Ohio, an area with the highest rates of unintentional overdose mortality in Ohio. Methods: LC–MS/MS-based method was used to identify fentanyl analogs and metabolites in 724 unintentional overdose death cases. The Chi-square statistic was used to assess differences over time in demographic and drug-related characteristics. Results: The number of unintentional overdose death cases testing positive for IMFs increased by 377% between second half of 2015 and first half of 2017. The majority of decedents were white (82.5%) and male (67.8%). The proportion of fentanyl-only (no other analogs) cases declined from 89.2%–24.6% (p \u3c 0.001), while proportion of fentanyl analogue-containing cases increased from 9.8%–70.3% (p \u3c 0.001) between the second half of 2015 and first half of 2017. The most commonly identified fentanyl analogs were carfentanil (29.7%), furanyl fentanyl (14.1%) and acryl fentanyl (10.2%). Proportion of IMF cases also testing positive for heroin declined from 21.6% to 5.4% (p \u3c 0.001), while methamphetamine positive cases increased from 1.4%–17.8% (p \u3c 0.001) over the same time period. Discussion: Emergence of fentanyl analogs contributed to substantial increases in unintentional overdose deaths. The data indicate a growing overlap between the IMF and methamphetamine outbreaks. Continuous monitoring of local IMF trends and rapid information dissemination to active users are needed to reduce the risks associated with IMF use