An overview of recent developments in the analytical detection of new psychoactive substances (NPSs)

New psychoactive substances (NPSs), sometimes referred to as “legal highs” in more colloquial environments/ the media, are a class of compounds that have been recently made available for abuse (not necessarily recently discovered) which provide similar effects to the traditional well studied illegal drugs but are not always controlled under existing local, regional or international drug legislation. Following an unprecedented increase in the number of NPSs in the last 5 years (with 101 substances discovered for the first time in 2014 alone) its, occasionally fatal, consequences have been extensively reported in the media. Such NPSs are typically marketed as ‘not for human consumption’ and are instead labelled and sold as plant food, bath salts as well as a whole host of other equally nondescript aliases in order to bypass legislative controls. NPSs are a new multi-disciplinary research field with the main emphasis in terms of forensic identification due to their adverse health effects, which can range from minimal to life threatening and even fatalities. In this mini-review we overview this recent emerging research area of NPSs and the analytical approaches reported to provide detection strategies as well as detailing recent reports towards providing point-of-care/in-the-field NPS (“legal high”) sensors

Emerging drugs of abuse: current perspectives on substituted cathinones

Magalie Paillet-Loilier,1 Alexandre Cesbron,1 Reynald Le Boisselier,2 Joanna Bourgine,1 Danièle Debruyne1,2 1Toxicology and Pharmacology Laboratory, 2Centre d'Evaluation et d'Information sur la Pharmacodépendance – Addictovigilance (CEIP-A), Department of Pharmacology, University Hospital Centre, Caen, France Abstract: Substituted cathinones are synthetic analogs of cathinone that can be considered as derivatives of phenethylamines with a beta-keto group on the side chain. They appeared in the recreational drug market in the mid-2000s and now represent a large class of new popular drugs of abuse. Initially considered as legal highs, their legal status is variable by country and is rapidly changing, with government institutions encouraging their control. Some cathinones (such as diethylpropion or pyrovalerone) have been used in a medical setting and bupropion is actually indicated for smoking cessation. Substituted cathinones are widely available from internet websites, retail shops, and street dealers. They can be sold under chemical, evocative or generic names, making their identification difficult. Fortunately, analytical methods have been developed in recent years to solve this problem. Available as powders, substituted cathinones are self-administered by snorting, oral injestion, or intravenous injection. They act as central nervous system stimulants by causing the release of catecholamines (dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin) and blocking their reuptake in the central and peripheral nervous system. They may also decrease dopamine and serotonin transporter function as nonselective substrates or potent blockers and may inhibit monoamine oxidase effects. Nevertheless, considerable differences have been found in the potencies of the different substituted cathinones in vitro. Desired effects reported by users include increased energy, empathy, and improved libido. Cardiovascular (tachycardia, hypertension) and psychiatric/neurological signs/symptoms (agitation, seizures, paranoia, and hallucinations) are the most common adverse effects reported. Severe toxicity signs compatible with excessive serotonin activity, such as hyperthermia, metabolic acidosis, and prolonged rhabdomyolysis, have also been observed. Reinforcing potential observed in animals predicts a high potential for addiction and abuse in users. In case of overdose, no specific antidote exists and no curative treatment has been approved by health authorities. Therefore, management of acute toxic effects is mainly extrapolated from experience with cocaine/amphetamines. Keywords: substituted cathinones, chemistry, analysis, pharmacology, toxicology, dependence, medical car

Effects of three therapeutic doses of codeine/paracetamol on driving performance, a psychomotor vigilance test, and subjective feelings

Rationale: Some recent pharmacoepidemiological studies revealed an elevated risk of driving accidents after opioid analgesics uses. Among analgesics, codeine is often associated with paracetamol in numerous pharmaceutical specialties. Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the dose-effect relationship of three usual therapeutic doses of codeine/paracetamol on driving ability, psychomotor performance, subjective alertness, in link with blood concentrations in healthy young volunteers. Methods: Driving performance, responses to psychomotor vigilance tests and scales reflecting alertness were evaluated during the morning after drug intake in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Sixteen healthy volunteers [23.4 + 2.7 years old, 8 men and 8 women] participated in this balanced, cross-over study. Three doses of codeine/paracetamol [20/400, 40/800, 60/1200 mg] were evaluated against placebo. Two blood samples were collected, 1 hour and 4 hours after drug intake. In serum, codeine, morphine concentrations were determined in serum using high-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry, and paracetamol concentrations using fluorescence polarization immunoassay. Results: Driving and psychomotor performance were not affected by any of the three codeine/paracetamol doses. However, significant, though modest, correlations were observed between the driving parameters and both morphine and codeine blood concentrations. Conclusions: This study did not reveal any significant impairment in performance due to the three therapeutic doses used in healthy young volunteers. However, the relationships between drug blood concentration and behavioral measures suggest that an inter-subject variability in blood concentration may influence the power of the observed drug effect

Novel aminoethylbiphenyls as 5-HT7 receptor ligands.

International audienceThe synthesis of a series of aminoethylbiphenyls as novel 5-HT(7) receptor ligands is described. The novel derivatives exhibit high affinity for the 5-HT(7) receptor with selectivity toward 5-HT(1A) receptor