Department of Forensic Toxicology & Drug Analysis, SYNLAB MVZ Weiden GmbH, Weiden, Germany.
Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Drug Test Anal. 2024 May;16(5):518-531. doi: 10.1002/dta.3578. Epub 2023 Sep 20.
Although the use, structural variety, and prevalence of synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) have steadily increased on the drug market, they are rarely analyzed in abstinence control programs for driver's license regranting. The aim of this study was to determine the SC prevalence in these programs by analyzing hair samples collected between March 2020 and March 2021 from various regions in Germany, mainly Bavaria (40%). Specimens were analyzed quantitatively for drugs of abuse and qualitatively for 107 SCs. Hair samples were screened by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and to search for unknown SC analogs, positive samples were additionally screened by liquid chromatography-high resolution time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-qTOF/MS). The analysis of 5097 hair samples resulted in 181 SC detections (3.6%), showing a wide range of 44 SCs, with up to 13 different compounds found in a single sample. The most prevalent compounds were 5F-MDMB-PICA and MDMB-4en-PINACA; furthermore, 10 new substances not initially covered by LC-MS/MS analysis were detected by LC-qTOF/MS. The SC positivity rate was comparable to cocaine (5.4%) and amphetamine (2.6%). Only in 35 cases (0.7%), SC analysis was requested by the clients, highlighting the insufficient coverage of SC consumption in the studied collective. In summary, hair sample analysis proved to be a valuable tool to monitor the use of SCs. In order to keep pace with newly emerging SC analogs, an up-to-date analytical method is essential. Prospectively, SCs should be more routinely screened in hair analysis for abstinence control to avoid cannabis substitution by SCs.
尽管合成大麻素 (SCs) 的使用、结构多样性和流行程度在毒品市场上稳步增加，但它们在驾驶员执照重新发放的戒毒控制计划中很少被分析。本研究的目的是通过分析 2020 年 3 月至 2021 年 3 月间从德国不同地区（主要是巴伐利亚州，占 40%）采集的头发样本，确定这些计划中的 SC 流行率。对样本进行了药物滥用的定量分析和 107 种 SC 的定性分析。头发样本通过液相色谱-串联质谱法 (LC-MS/MS) 进行筛选，为了寻找未知的 SC 类似物，阳性样本还通过液相色谱-高分辨飞行时间质谱法 (LC-qTOF/MS) 进行筛选。对 5097 个头发样本的分析结果显示有 181 个 SC 检测结果（3.6%），涉及的 SC 种类繁多，多达 13 种不同的化合物出现在单一样本中。最常见的化合物是 5F-MDMB-PICA 和 MDMB-4en-PINACA；此外，还通过 LC-qTOF/MS 检测到了 10 种最初未被 LC-MS/MS 分析覆盖的新物质。SC 的阳性率与可卡因（5.4%）和苯丙胺（2.6%）相当。只有在 35 例（0.7%）中，客户要求进行 SC 分析，这突出表明在所研究的人群中，SC 消费情况的监测不够充分。总之，头发样本分析被证明是监测 SC 使用情况的有效工具。为了跟上新出现的 SC 类似物的步伐，必须采用最新的分析方法。从前景来看，SC 应该更常规地在头发分析中进行筛查，以避免 SC 替代大麻。
