Forensic & National Security Sciences Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, 13244, USA.
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Special Testing and Research Laboratory, Dulles, VA, 20166, USA.
Sci Rep. 2018 Feb 7;8(1):2590. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-20996-9.
This study is the first to report the successful development of a method to extract opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) DNA from heroin samples. Determining of the source of an unknown heroin sample (forensic geosourcing) is vital to informing domestic and foreign policy related to counter-narcoterrorism. Current profiling methods focus on identifying process-related chemical impurities found in heroin samples. Changes to the geographically distinct processing methods may lead to difficulties in classifying and attributing heroin samples to a region/country. This study focuses on methods to optimize the DNA extraction and amplification of samples with low levels of degraded DNA and inhibiting compounds such as heroin. We compared modified commercial-off-the-shelf extraction methods such as the Qiagen Plant, Stool and the Promega Maxwell-16 RNA-LEV tissue kits for the ability to extract opium poppy DNA from latex, raw and cooked opium, white and brown powder heroin and black tar heroin. Opium poppy DNA was successfully detected in all poppy-derived samples, including heroin. The modified Qiagen stool method with post-extraction purification and a two-stage, dual DNA polymerase amplification procedure resulted in the highest DNA yield and minimized inhibition. This paper describes the initial phase in establishing a DNA-based signature method to characterize heroin.
这项研究首次报道了成功开发从海洛因样本中提取罂粟（Papaver somniferum L.）DNA 的方法。确定未知海洛因样本的来源（法医地理溯源）对于制定与打击毒品恐怖主义相关的国内外政策至关重要。目前的分析方法侧重于鉴定海洛因样本中发现的与加工过程相关的化学杂质。地理上不同的加工方法的变化可能导致难以对海洛因样本进行分类和归因于某个地区/国家。本研究重点关注优化从具有低水平降解 DNA 和抑制化合物（如海洛因）的样品中提取和扩增 DNA 的方法。我们比较了改良的商业现货提取方法，如 Qiagen 植物、粪便和 Promega Maxwell-16 RNA-LEV 组织试剂盒，以评估它们从乳胶、生鸦片、熟鸦片、白色和棕色粉末海洛因以及黑焦油海洛因中提取罂粟 DNA 的能力。罂粟 DNA 成功地在所有源自罂粟的样品中被检测到，包括海洛因。改良的 Qiagen 粪便方法，经过提取后纯化和两步、双 DNA 聚合酶扩增程序，可获得最高的 DNA 产量并最大限度地减少抑制。本文描述了建立基于 DNA 的特征方法来表征海洛因的初始阶段。
