scholarly journals Pyrrolidinyl Synthetic Cathinones α-PHP and 4F-α-PVP Metabolite Profiling Using Human Hepatocyte Incubations

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 230
Author(s):  
Jeremy Carlier ◽  
Xingxing Diao ◽  
Raffaele Giorgetti ◽  
Francesco P. Busardò ◽  
Marilyn A. Huestis

For more than ten years, new synthetic cathinones (SCs) mimicking the effects of controlled cocaine-like stimulants have flooded the illegal drug market, causing numerous intoxications and fatalities. There are often no data on the pharmacokinetics of these substances when they first emerge onto the market. However, the detection of SC metabolites is often critical in order to prove consumption in clinical and forensic settings. In this research, the metabolite profile of two pyrrolidinyl SCs, α-pyrrolidinohexaphenone (α-PHP) and 4′′-fluoro-α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (4F-α-PVP), were characterized to identify optimal intake markers. Experiments were conducted using pooled human hepatocyte incubations followed by liquid chromatography–high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry and data-mining software. We suggest α-PHP dihydroxy-pyrrolidinyl, α-PHP hexanol, α-PHP 2′-keto-pyrrolidinyl-hexanol, and α-PHP 2′-keto-pyrrolidinyl as markers of α-PHP use, and 4F-α-PVP dihydroxy-pyrrolidinyl, 4F-α-PVP hexanol, 4F-α-PVP 2′-keto-pyrrolidinyl-hexanol, and 4F-α-PVP 2′-keto-pyrrolidinyl as markers of 4F-α-PVP use. These results represent the first data available on 4F-α-PVP metabolism. The metabolic fate of α-PHP was previously studied using human liver microsomes and urine samples from α-PHP users. We identified an additional major metabolite (α-PHP dihydroxy-pyrrolidinyl) that might be crucial for documenting exposure to α-PHP. Further experiments with suitable analytical standards, which are yet to be synthesized, and authentic specimens should be conducted to confirm these results.

Metabolites ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Sascha K. Manier ◽  
Florian Schwermer ◽  
Lea Wagmann ◽  
Niels Eckstein ◽  
Markus R. Meyer

Synthetic cathinones belong to the most often seized new psychoactive substances on an international level. This study investigated the toxicometabolomics, particularly the in vitro metabolism of 2-(methylamino)-1-(4-methylphenyl)-1-pentanone (4-MPD) and 2-(ethylamino)-1-(4-methylphenyl)-1-pentanone (4-MEAP) in pooled human liver microsomes (pHLM) using untargeted metabolomics techniques. Incubations were performed with the substrates in concentrations ranging from 0, 12.5, and 25 µM. Analysis was done by means of high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC-HRMS/MS) in full scan only and the obtained data was evaluated using XCMS Online and MetaboAnalyst. Significant features were putatively identified using a separate parallel reaction monitoring method. Statistical analysis was performed using Kruskal-Wallis test for prefiltering significant features and subsequent hierarchical clustering, as well as principal component analysis (PCA). Hierarchical clustering or PCA showed a distinct clustering of all concentrations with most of the features z-scores rising with the concentration of the investigated substances. Identification of significant features left many of them unidentified but revealed metabolites of both 4-MPD and 4-MEAP. Both substances formed carboxylic acids, were hydroxylated at the alkyl chain, and formed metabolites after combined hydroxylation and reduction of the cathinone oxo group. 4-MPD additionally formed a dihydroxy metabolite and a hydroxylamine. 4-MEAP was additionally found reduced at the cathinone oxo group, N-dealkylated, and formed an oxo metabolite. These findings are the first to describe the metabolic pathways of 4-MPD and to extend our knowledge about the metabolism of 4-MEAP. Findings, particularly the MS data of the metabolites, are essential for setting up metabolite-based toxicological (urine) screening procedures.


2020 ◽  
Vol 94 (11) ◽  
pp. 3759-3774
Author(s):  
Ina Geburek ◽  
Dieter Schrenk ◽  
Anja These

Abstract Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA) exert their toxic effects only after bioactivation. Although their toxicity has already been studied and metabolic pathways including important metabolites were described, the quantification of the latter revealed a large unknown portion of the metabolized PA. In this study, the qualitative and quantitative metabolite profiles of structurally different PAs in rat and human liver microsomes were investigated. Between five metabolites for europine and up to 48 metabolites for lasiocarpine were detected. Proposals for the chemical structure of each metabolite were derived based on fragmentation patterns using high-resolution mass spectrometry. The metabolite profiles of the diester PAs showed a relatively good agreement between both species. The metabolic reactions were summarized into three groups: dehydrogenation, oxygenation, and shortening of necic acid(s). While dehydrogenation of the necine base is considered as bioactivation, both other routes are considered as detoxification steps. The most abundant changes found for open chained diesters were dealkylations, while the major metabolic pathway for cyclic diesters was oxygenation especially at the nitrogen atom. In addition, all diester PAs formed several dehydrogenation products, via the insertion of a second double bond in the necine base, including the formation of glutathione conjugates. In rat liver microsomes, all investigated PAs formed dehydropyrrolizidine metabolites with the highest amount formed by lasiocarpine, whereas in human liver microsomes, these metabolites could only be detected for diesters. Our findings demonstrate that an extensive analysis of PA metabolism can provide the basis for a better understanding of PA toxicity and support future risk assessment.


ChemMedChem ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
pp. 1781-1788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Ali Soussi ◽  
Silvio Aprile ◽  
Samir Messaoudi ◽  
Olivier Provot ◽  
Erika Del Grosso ◽  
...  

Xenobiotica ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 00 (00) ◽  
pp. 090901052053001-8
Author(s):  
K. Murai ◽  
H. Yamazaki ◽  
K. Nakagawa ◽  
R. Kawai ◽  
T. Kamataki

2000 ◽  
Vol 86 (5) ◽  
pp. 215-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paivi Taavitsainen ◽  
Markku Anttila ◽  
Leena Nyman ◽  
Hari Karnani ◽  
Jarmo S. Salonen ◽  
...  

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