Department of Excellence of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Section of Legal Medicine, Unit of Forensic Toxicology, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy.
Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2023 Aug;27(15):7337-7345. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202308_33305.
The current opioid overdose crisis is characterized by the presence of unknown psychoactive adulterants. Xylazine is an alpha-2 receptor agonist that is not approved for human use but is commonly used in veterinary medicine due to its sedative and muscle-relaxant properties. Cases of human intoxication due to accidental or voluntary use have been reported since the 1980s. However, reports of adulteration of illicit opioids (heroin and illicit fentanyl) with xylazine have been increasing all over Western countries. In humans, xylazine causes respiratory depression, bradycardia, and hypotension-posing individuals, using xylazine-adulterated opioids. We present a narrative review of the latest intoxication cases related to xylazine, to bring awareness to readers and also to help pathologists to detect and deal with xylazine cases.
当前的阿片类药物过量危机的特点是存在未知的具有精神活性的掺杂物。二甲噻嗪是一种α-2 受体激动剂，未获准用于人体，但由于其具有镇静和肌肉松弛的特性，常用于兽医领域。自 20 世纪 80 年代以来，已有因意外或自愿使用而导致人体中毒的报告。然而，在整个西方国家，报告显示非法阿片类药物（海洛因和非法芬太尼）与二甲噻嗪掺假的情况有所增加。我们对与二甲噻嗪有关的最新中毒案例进行了叙述性综述，以使读者了解这一情况，同时帮助病理学家发现和处理二甲噻嗪案例。
