Dataset Information

Advances in new psychoactive substances identification: the U.R.I.To.N. Consortium.

ABSTRACT: Identification of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in biological and non-biological samples represents a hard challenge for forensic toxicologists. Their great chemical variety and the speed with which new NPS are synthesised and spread make stringent the need of advanced tools for their detection based on multidisciplinary approaches. For this reason, in August 2016, the "Unit of Research and Innovation in Forensic Toxicology and Neuroscience of Addiction" (U.R.I.To.N.) was founded by the Forensic Toxicology Division of the University of Florence. In this Research Unit, various professionals (i.e. forensic toxicologists, chemists, physicians) collaborate to study all the aspects of drugs of abuse, especially NPS. Herein, we describe the multidisciplinary approach comprising liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), gas chromatography hyphenated to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and solution nuclear magnetic resonance analysis that allowed the identification of three NPS such as 1-(benzofuran-5-yl)-N-methylpropan-2-amine, 2-amino-1-(4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyphenyl)ethan-1-one (bk-2C-B), and 3-(2-aminopropyl)indole (?-methyltryptamine) in seized materials.

SUBMITTER: Bertol E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6445230 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Advances in new psychoactive substances identification: the U.R.I.To.N. Consortium.

Bertol Elisabetta E Vaiano Fabio F Mari Francesco F Di Milia Maria Grazia MG Bua Silvia S Supuran Claudiu T CT Carta Fabrizio F

Journal of enzyme inhibition and medicinal chemistry 20171201 1

Identification of new psychoactive substances (NPS) in biological and non-biological samples represents a hard challenge for forensic toxicologists. Their great chemical variety and the speed with which new NPS are synthesised and spread make stringent the need of advanced tools for their detection based on multidisciplinary approaches. For this reason, in August 2016, the "Unit of Research and Innovation in Forensic Toxicology and Neuroscience of Addiction" (U.R.I.To.N.) was founded by the Fore ...[more]

PMID: 28629236

Similar Datasets

Project description:Use of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) has posed a global threat to public health and the security of the population. As of December 2019, the NPS items identified in total have outnumbered by three to one the controlled substances listed in the 1961 and 1971 UN Drug Conventions. However, most of these NPS have not been scheduled by the United Nations because of their easy modification on the chemical structures to shun control. Currently, the scheduling and control of NPS is mostly at the national level and a rational scheduling of NPS by objective assessments is essential but often lacking. To rationally schedule NPS, the NPS misuse situation was firstly estimated with the Taiwanese Substance Misuse Monitoring and Reporting Systems (SMMRS) from 2006 through 2019. Then, the assessment of drug-related harms with an expert Delphi procedure for drug scheduling was performed. The epidemiological analysis revealed that among 37 substances commonly misused in Taiwan, heroin posed the highest risk, followed by (meth)amphetamine and ketamine. Of note, misuse of NPS, such as ketamine, synthetic cannabinoids (JWHs, AM-2201, XJR-11), synthetic cathinones (MDPV, bk-MDMA, 4 -MMCetc.), phenethylamines (PMMA, FMA, 2C-B, 2C-E etc.), piperazines (BZP, TFMPP) and tryptamines (5-MeO-DIPT) has been on the rise. Though perceived drug-related harms differed among experts with different professional backgrounds, the differences were not significant. Four dimensions of drug-related harms- addiction, misuse, social harm and physical harm- integrated from Nutt's model and scheduling criteria of Taiwan's Statute for the Prevention and Control of Illicit Drugs (SPCID), were further divided into 11 indicators and applied to assess harms of the 37 substances. Among the 11 indicators that corresponded to the four dimensions, 7 had significant prediction capabilities. Additionally, prevalence of misuse nationally was an important predictor of harm assessment. These indicators of harm assessment of drug misuse can help develop a proper scheduling system for the management of controlled/illicit drugs. In conclusions, drug scheduling is the first step toward proper management of drug use problems. Facing the threats of NPS, it is imperative to implement a rational and effective scheduling system for appropriate management. This study provides a mechanism to scrutinize, and improve, the current evaluation process for NPS scheduling.

Dataset Information

Advances in new psychoactive substances identification: the U.R.I.To.N. Consortium.

Publications

Advances in new psychoactive substances identification: the U.R.I.To.N. Consortium.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets