Validation of a New Sensitive Method for the Detection and Quantification of R and S-Epimers of Ergot Alkaloids in Canadian Spring Wheat Utilizing Deuterated Lysergic Acid Diethylamide as an Internal Standard

Ergot sclerotia effect cereal crops intended for consumption. Ergot alkaloids within ergot sclerotia are assessed to ensure contamination is below safety standards established for human and animal health. Ergot alkaloids exist in two configurations, the R and S-epimers. It is important to quantify both configurations. The objective of this study was to validate a new ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method for quantification of six R and six S-epimers of ergot alkaloids in hard red spring wheat utilizing deuterated lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD-D3) as an internal standard. Validation parameters such as linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), matrix effects, recovery and precision were investigated. For the 12 epimers analyzed, low LOD and LOQ values were observed, allowing for the sensitive detection of ergot epimers. Matrix effects ranged between 101–113% in a representative wheat matrix. Recovery was 68.3–119.1% with an inter-day precision of <24% relative standard deviation (RSD). The validation parameters conform with previous studies and exhibit differences between the R and S-epimers which has been rarely documented. This new sensitive method allows for the use of a new internal standard and can be incorporated and applied to research or diagnostic laboratories.

Cytotoxic, genotoxic, and oxidative stress-related effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and phencyclidine (PCP) in the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a classic hallucinogen, widely abused for decades, while phencyclidine (PCP) has increased in popularity in recent years, especially among the adolescents. Very little is known about the general toxicity of these compounds, especially about their possible neurotoxic effects at the cell level. The aim of this study was to address these gaps by assessing the toxic effects of 24-hour exposure to LSD and PCP in the concentration range of 0.39–100 μmol/L in the human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. After cell viability was established, cells treated with concentrations that reduced their viability up to 30 % were further subjected to the alkaline comet assay and biochemical assays that enable estimation of oxidative stress-related effects. Treatment with LSD at 6.25 μmol/L and with PCP at 3.13 μmol/L resulted with 88.06±2.05 and 84.17±3.19 % of viable cells, respectively, and led to a significant increase in primary DNA damage compared to negative control. LSD also caused a significant increase in malondialdehyde level, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and glutathione (GSH) level, PCP significantly increased ROS but lowered GSH compared to control. Treatment with LSD significantly increased the activities of all antioxidant enzymes, while PCP treatment significantly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) but decreased catalase (CAT) activity compared to control. Our findings suggest that LSD has a greater DNA damaging potential and stronger oxidative activity than PCP in SH-SY5Y cells.

Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, Psilocybin and Dimethyltryptamine in Depression Treatment: A Systematic Review

Despite many different kinds of substances available for depression treatment, depression itself still appears to be a clinical challenge. Recently, formerly illicit substances came to scientists’ attention, including lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin and dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Some studies suggest that these substances might be effective in depression treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of LSD, psilocybin and DMT in depression treatment in the light of current medical literature. The authors followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines for this systematic review. The authors searched the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases to identify relevant publications. Finally, 10 papers were included. Most of the selected studies showed significant correlation between psilocybin and DMT use and reduction in depression symptom intensity. By analyzing qualified studies, it can be concluded that psilocybin and DMT could be useful in depression treatment, but further observations are still required.

Changes in Online Psychoactive Substance Trade via Telegram during the COVID-19 Pandemic

<b><i>Background:</i></b> In this article, we present an evaluation of online psychoactive substance trade via Telegram, a free encrypted social media messenger service. The evaluation took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed us to monitor the effects of the spring 2020 lockdown in the Netherlands on substance trade via Telegram. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> The objective of this study was to evaluate whether changes in psychoactive substance trade on Telegram markets in the Netherlands can be observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Between December 2, 2019, and June 29, 2020, a total of 70,226 posts appeared in two analyzed Telegram groups. A total of 5,643 posts were psychoactive substance related. Based on the analyzed posts, Telegram is mostly a ‘“sellers” market as only a minority of the posts (6.3%) could be identified as a request for a substance. The proportion of posts related to specific substances varied between the periods before, during, and after the lockdown. The proportion of posts on the stimulants ecstasy, cocaine, and amphetamine was lower during the lockdown than before and after. For psychedelics – ketamine, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-bromophenethylamine (2C-B) – and other substances, there was a relative increase in the number of posts during the lockdown, which was maintained after the lockdown. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Telegram analysis shows that in the Netherlands, online psychoactive substance trade may have been affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. The direction of this effect was different for different classes of substances.