District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, Public Health Laboratory Division, Forensic Chemistry Unit, 401 E Street SW, Washington, D.C., USA; The George Washington University, 2121 I St NW, Washington, D.C., USA.
District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, Public Health Laboratory Division, Forensic Chemistry Unit, 401 E Street SW, Washington, D.C., USA.
Forensic Sci Int. 2022 Sep;338:111393. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2022.111393. Epub 2022 Jul 18.
Fentanyl has played a significant role in the opioid crisis, proving to be a persistent problem due to its analgesic effects and addictive nature. Consequently, fentanyl analogs have been identified as a rising threat in the illicit drug market, contributing to thousands of both fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the United States. A profile of the fentanyl and fentanyl analogs present in Washington D.C. was developed by analyzing syringe extracts obtained from needle-exchange programs in the city. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with selected ion monitoring (SIM) acquisition provided a targeted analysis scheme to detect trace amounts of nine compounds: acetyl fentanyl, para-fluorofentanyl, fentanyl, methoxyacetyl fentanyl, meta-chlorofentanyl, carfentanil, valeryl fentanyl, beta-hydroxythiofentanyl, and furanyl fentanyl. In total, 332 syringe extracts were analyzed. The detected analytes and their percent prevalences were fentanyl (72.29 %), acetyl fentanyl (11.44 %), para-fluorofentanyl (6.63 %), and furanyl fentanyl (3.61 %). Tandem use was detected with combinations of fentanyl with acetyl fentanyl (12.08 %), fentanyl with para-fluorofentanyl (7.08 %), fentanyl with furanyl fentanyl (4.58 %), and fentanyl with acetyl fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl (2.08 %). The identities of the analogs present, their relative potencies, and tandem use trends provides valuable information, especially for medical personnel who respond to opioid-related overdoses and deaths. Based on the fentanyl analog trends and tandem use of these compounds revealed in this study, it is recommended that Congress passes the permanent classification of fentanyl analogs as Schedule I drugs.
芬太尼在阿片类药物危机中发挥了重要作用，由于其镇痛作用和成瘾性，芬太尼类似物已成为一个持续存在的问题。因此，芬太尼类似物已被确定为非法毒品市场上的一个新威胁，导致美国数千例致命和非致命的过量用药。通过分析从该市的针具交换计划中获得的注射器提取物，建立了华盛顿特区芬太尼和芬太尼类似物的概况。气相色谱-质谱联用（GC-MS）与选择离子监测（SIM）采集提供了一种靶向分析方案，用于检测九种化合物的痕量：乙酰芬太尼、对氟芬太尼、芬太尼、甲氧基乙酰芬太尼、间氯芬太尼、卡芬太尼、戊基芬太尼、β-羟硫代芬太尼和呋喃芬太尼。总共分析了 332 个注射器提取物。检测到的分析物及其百分比分别为芬太尼（72.29%）、乙酰芬太尼（11.44%）、对氟芬太尼（6.63%）和呋喃芬太尼（3.61%）。检测到的串联使用包括芬太尼与乙酰芬太尼（12.08%）、芬太尼与对氟芬太尼（7.08%）、芬太尼与呋喃芬太尼（4.58%）以及芬太尼与乙酰芬太尼和对氟芬太尼（2.08%）的组合。目前存在的类似物的身份、它们的相对效力以及串联使用趋势提供了有价值的信息，特别是对于应对阿片类药物相关过量用药和死亡的医务人员而言。基于本研究中揭示的芬太尼类似物趋势和这些化合物的串联使用，建议国会将芬太尼类似物永久列为 I 类药物。
