Emerging trends in drugs, addictions, and health最新文献

{"title":"NPS and Other Emerging Drugs in the Clearnet and Darkweb.","authors":"I. Mazzoni","doi":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100105","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100105","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Psychoactive substances have a long history of use as doping substances in sport, usually constituting the second most used drug class behind anabolic steroids. In addition to the classic doping substances, a more challenging problem is presented by the increasing availability of new psychoactive substances (NPS) and other emerging drugs (ED). These news drugs need first to be found and identified, classified based on the little information available as doping substances and finally analytical methods have to be developed or implemented in WADA accredited laboratories to detect them. In an effort to anticipate doping trends, one of the methods WADA uses is an intelligence-based approach, where new or potential doping substances are identified and purchased to confirm or identify their chemical structures and to assess their quality and purity. In this study we set out to monitor both the Darkweb and the Clearweb for emerging drugs with potential doping benefits. A comparison between the prevalence of these substances from both sources will be presented as well, to establish whether athletes have access to more sophisticated substances in the Darkweb. The presence of these NPS/ED as components of multipart nutritional subjects will be reported as well. These results will serve to target efforts to discover new substances entering the sport world for doping purposes and develop prevention and rapid-response strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72899,"journal":{"name":"Emerging trends in drugs, addictions, and health","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100105"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143140978","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chemical Profiling of the Street Drug Nyaope in South Africa using GC-MS.","authors":"E.M. Mwenesongole,&nbsp;P.M. Mthembi,&nbsp;M.D. Cole","doi":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100107","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100107","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Nyaope is a highly addictive low-grade heroin mixed with cannabis and/or other psychoactive compounds such as caffeine, lidocaine, phenacetin, dextromethorphan, and antiretroviral medication. The contents of Nyaope can differ within batches making it a challenge to profile. We present an analytical method for the storage, extraction, identification, and profiling of Nyaope.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Identification and profiling of Nyaope was conducted with gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Method validation parameters assessed were, stability, linearity, limits of detection and quantitation, accuracy and precision, ruggedness, selectivity, and recovery.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The method achieved accuracy of 80–120%, linearity with R2≥0.99, and precision values of less than 20%. Detection limits for diamorphine, efavirenz, nevirapine and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol ranged from 9.94 to 18.7 pg on column and the quantitation limits ranged from 30.1 to 56.6 pg on column. Stability, recoveries, and ruggedness were within acceptable laboratory standards. Samples were discriminated into original batches using the method and Principal Component Analysis and Hierarchical Clustering.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The Southern African drug Nyaope can now be identified and compared. This can assist law enforcement agencies and public health stakeholders develop suitable methods to deal with supply and demand of this drug.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72899,"journal":{"name":"Emerging trends in drugs, addictions, and health","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100107"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143141007","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Benzodiazepine Boom: Tracking Etizolam, Pyrazolam and Flubromazepam from Pre-Psychoactive Act 2016 to Present Using Analytical and Social Listening Techniques","authors":"A. Mullin,&nbsp;M. Scott,&nbsp;G. Vaccaro,&nbsp;F. Schifano,&nbsp;J. Corkery,&nbsp;A. Guirguis","doi":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100106","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100106","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>The designer benzodiazepine (DBZD) market continues to expand driven by pro-drug use communities on social media, increasing demand. This research addresses the evolution of three popularised DBZDs, etizolam(E), flubromazepam(F) and pyrazolam(P), available on the drug market for over a decade.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Quantitative analysis of multiple drug batches, purchased in bulk in 2016 from 15 open web vendors, under a Home Office licence, was performed by UHPLC-MS(MS) and qualitatively supported by 1H NMR. Underpinned by a systematic literature review and netnographic analyses, both manual and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven thematic analyses of social media content on X and Reddit were performed between 2016-2023, using numerous.ai and ChatGBT.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>UHPLC-MS(MS) confirmed the presence of expected drugs in every sample, showing significant inter/intra batch variability (E = 13.8 ± 0.6 to 24.7 ± 0.9mg; F = 4.0 ± 0.2 to 23.5 ± 0.8mg; P = 5.2 ± 0.2 to 11.5 ± 0.4mg). 1H NMR could not confirm etizolam as a lone compound in any etizolam batch. Etizolam dominated social media discussions (59% of posts); with 24.2% involving sale/purchase and 17.8% discussing new administration trends/poly-drug use. AI confirmed three of the top five trends identified manually.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The findings emphasise a broad-spectrum in purity variability among samples, highlighting potential health risks associated with DBZDs. The study suggests that social media discussions on platforms like X and Reddit exacerbate the global DBZD market. Despite newer analogues emerging, these three drugs remain popular. The increasing demand, despite their potency and potential life risks, calls for greater control and real-time monitoring of social media content to implement effective harm reduction strategies and regulations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72899,"journal":{"name":"Emerging trends in drugs, addictions, and health","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100106"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143141009","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Social Listening of Benzodiazepines Abuse and Misuse","authors":"A. Guirguis","doi":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100095","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100095","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Benzodiazepines are Class C drugs that can act as anxiolytics, hypnotics, sedatives, and muscle relaxants. Over the decade, benzodiazepine misuse has proliferated with increasing numbers of newly emerging benzodiazepines. The aim of this work is to use a social listening approach to identify the latest trends in benzodiazepine abuse and misuse.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Literature reviews were conducted over various periods spanning over 2020-2021 and 2022/2023 from PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar. During the same periods, tweets were collected using the Twitter social media platform (Rapid Miner Software) and analyzed using a thematic analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Over 1000 article and 60,000 tweets were collected and cleaned using the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The number of articles peaked in 2018/2019 and declined afterwards. The type of benzodiazepines being misused encompassed traditional benzodiapines such as diazepam and designer benzodiazepines such as bromazolam, with Xanax (alprazolam) being one of the most popular benzodiazepines. Polysubstance misuse with benzodiazepines included cannabis, opioids, steroids, nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol. Self-medication was a common theme for panic attacks, anxiety, and insomnia.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Unsafe practices continue to be popular with benzodiazepine misuse. Clinicians and policy makers need to be vigilant when prescribing and devising harm reduction interventions related to benzodiazepines.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72899,"journal":{"name":"Emerging trends in drugs, addictions, and health","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100095"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143141754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In Vivo Pharmaco-Toxicological Characterization of Brorphine and its Possible Emerging Analogues Orphine, Fluorphine, Chlorphine and Iodorphine","authors":"S. Bilel,&nbsp;M.M. Vandeputte,&nbsp;M. Tirri,&nbsp;G. Corli,&nbsp;C.P. Stove,&nbsp;M. Marti","doi":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100073","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100073","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Brorphine is a dangerous novel synthetic opioid (NSO) that has recently emerged on the illicit drug market of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) and has been involved in multiple cases of intoxication and death worldwide. Although brorphine has recently been prohibited, its (halogenated) analogues orphine, chlorphine, fluorphine and iodorphine may be available on the NPS market, potentially posing new risks to public health. Therefore, the aim of this study is to characterize the acute effects of brorphine and its analogues in vivo.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We investigated the acute effects after systemic administration of brorphine and 4 analogues (0.01–15 mg/kg i.p.) on mechanical and thermal analgesia, motor impairment, grip strength and cardiorespiratory changes in male CD-1 mice. Opioid receptor specificity was also investigated using naloxone (6 mg/kg i.p.) pre-treatment.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>All compounds increased mechanical and thermal analgesia, and impaired motor and cardiorespiratory parameters. Brorphine was the most potent of all tested compounds. The pre-treatment with naloxone prevented partially the analgesic, motor and cardio-respiratory impairments induced by brorphine and its analogues.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>These findings confirm the dangerous profile of brorphine and increase the alert on the possible emergence of new brorphine analogues and their possible association with a new wave of intoxication and death worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72899,"journal":{"name":"Emerging trends in drugs, addictions, and health","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100073"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143141771","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synthetic Cannabinoids Use among Inmates in an English Prison","authors":"S. Craft,&nbsp;A. Austin,&nbsp;I. Blagborough,&nbsp;P. Sunderland,&nbsp;C. Pudney,&nbsp;T. Freeman","doi":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100082","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100082","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>The use of synthetic cannabinoids (SC) is major public-health problem in UK prisons, and between 2015 – 2022, SCs were implicated in around half of all non-natural deaths among UK prisoners. Although the global use of SCs is highly concentrated within this population, it remains an underresearched area, and little is known about the features of SC use among this group.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We recruited a purposive sample of 120 prisoners currently incarcerated in an English adult male prison to complete a questionnaire during a 1 to 1 confidential interview. Psychological distress was measured using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18), and participants were asked questions about their sociodemographic and custodial characteristics and their use of drugs inside and outside of prison. Those that reported using SC inside prison were asked additional questions related to their features of use (including past 4-week frequency and administration method) and reasons for use.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A total of 55 (45%) participants reported ever use of SC in prison, and this group reported significantly higher levels of psychological distress than those never using SC in prison ((t(118) = 3.28, p = .004, CI: 95% CI: 3.73, 14.25). The majority of SC users (n=25) had used SC in the last week and reported vaping infused paper as the most common administration method (72%). The reasons for use most commonly endorsed by participants were to deal with boredom (90%), to make the prison sentence pass faster (88%), to cope with stress (82%) and to help sleep (76%).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The use of SCs is highly prevalent among UK prisoners and its use is associated with higher levels of psychological distress. The majority of SC use occurs via the vaporisation of infused paper, and the health effects of this are entirely unknown. Use appears to be mostly driven by coping motives, such as to help sleep or deal with stress or boredom, and this should be used to inform interventions aiming to reduce SC use within prison populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72899,"journal":{"name":"Emerging trends in drugs, addictions, and health","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100082"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143140967","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification of 4-Chloromethylcathinone Metabolites in Urine with GC-MS and LC-QTOF","authors":"M.A. Gofenberg,&nbsp;V.A. Shevyrin","doi":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100093","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100093","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Synthetic cathinones are the most common group of new psychoactive substances found on the illegal Russian market. 1-(4-Chlorophenyl)-2-methylaminopropan-1-one (4-Chloromethylcathinone, Clephedrone, 4-CMC) is regularly found in urine samples from patients with acute stimulant poisoning and urine samples obtained from drivers suspected by police of driving under the influence of drugs. The aim of the study was to determine the metabolic profile of Clephedrone by GC-MS and LC-HRMS.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Two urine samples from living individuals were used to search for Clephedrone metabolites and their glucuronides. 7890 gas chromatograph with HP-5MS column with 5977 mass spectrometer (Agilent Technologies) for determination of metabolites of I phase was used. Phase I and II metabolites were identified by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS), which was performed on a 1290 Infinity II LC liquid chromatograph equipped with a Zorbax Eclipse Plus C18 column with a 6545 Q-TOF mass spectrometer (Agilent Technologies).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>I and II phase metabolites of Clephedrone have been found in human urine. The main pathways of biotransformation include N-demethylation of the secondary amine to yield norclephedrone and reduction of the ketone moiety to the hydroxyl group to form dihydroclephedrone. Also identified is a metabolite obtained by loss of water by dihydroclephedrone to form a double bond. Minor pathways of biotransformation are associated with the oxidation of the methyl group of the propyl chain, hydroxylation at the benzene ring, and a combination of these reactions. Most of the metabolites were present in the urine, both in free and glucuronated forms.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Synthetic cathinones are important psychostimulants that have been associated with driving disorders, intoxications, and fatal overdoses. The results of a study of the metabolism of 4-Chloromethylcathinone can be used to diagnose acute poisoning with synthetic cathinones, and to predict the directions of metabolism of new psychoactive substances.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72899,"journal":{"name":"Emerging trends in drugs, addictions, and health","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100093"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143140975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"“Youth 2.0 project”: Multi-professional Intervention to Protect Adolescents from NPS and Other Drug Use","authors":"V. Rapaccini,&nbsp;S. Biscontini,&nbsp;A. Molinaro,&nbsp;G.P. Di Loreto,&nbsp;A. Pasini,&nbsp;O. Corazza,&nbsp;A. Metastasio","doi":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100116","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100116","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Introduction&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;The COVID 19 pandemic has significantly affected the consumption of drugs determining a substantial increase in psychiatric discomfort and mental illness, especially among youth. Our study focuses the attention on Terni, a city in the center of Italy, actually defined by journalists as “the black heart of drug dealing in Umbria”: in fact, according to the Central Directorate for Drug Services report, in this city more than half of the drug related deaths of Umbria are registered; in addition, more than 60% out of hashish, cocaine and heroin detected in Umbria are seized in Terni. To cope with these emerging challenges, the “Youth 2.0” Project in Terni, a city in the center of Italy heavy affected by the drug problem, aimed to provide a personalized tailored interventions for young people aged between 14-24 years old suffering from mental illness, psychiatric disorders, psychological distress and a wide range of substance/non-substance related forms of addictions in specific semi residential centers. The project, which involved schools-based intervention, group meetings and family meetings, clinical screenings among others, was implemented with the support of the families, law enforcement agencies, the Usl Umbria 2 Addiction Department and Child Neurodevelopmental Disorder Centre. The aim of our study is to evaluate the impact of such project on the intake of illegal substances among this cohort.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Methods&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Retrospective analysis of the clinical data collected by Usl Umbria 2 Addiction Department concerning adolescents between 14 and 24 years old and comparison between those involved/not involved in the “Youth 2.0” Project during 2019-2022.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;A general increase in substance addictions rate (smoking, alcohol, drugs) was recorded. The consumption of illegal substances (in particular cannabinoids) grew of almost 10% (from 58% in 2019 to 64% in 2022). In addition, novel trends of substance misuse were also identified. Whereas heroin and cocaine were the most widespread substances, NPS, expecially cannabinoids, remained the preferred drug of choice in the population under 20 years of age. For what concern Youth 2.0 project, we noticed a significant decrease in cannabinoids use among adolescents in charge at the Usl Umbria 2 Addiction Department (from 3.9% in 2019 to 2.9% in 2022) with a parallel exponential growth (from 1.3% in 2019 to 5.2% in 2022) in adolescents monitored with Youth 2.0 Project.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Conclusions&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Findings confirms the crucial importance of identifying and promoting appropriate intervention strategies in collaboration with various stakeholders (families, schools, police, clinical staff) to reduce the substance intake among young people. Considering also the function of self-care medication that some adolescents attribute to cannabinoids, these preliminary data lead us to assume that the “Youth 2.0 Project” provided a vali","PeriodicalId":72899,"journal":{"name":"Emerging trends in drugs, addictions, and health","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100116"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143140987","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ten Years of International Collaboration to Address the Challenge of New Psychoactive Substances","authors":"J. Tettey,&nbsp;S. Levissianos","doi":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100125","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100125","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Over the last ten years, the number of new psychoactive substances (NPS) reported to UNODC has increased significantly to over 1,200 individual substances, reported by 141 countries and territories worldwide. Countries have addressed the challenges they face with proactive and innovative responses including a variety of national legislative responses. While these measures have to a large extent contributed to a reduction of these harmful substances and an overall stabilization of the NPS market, significant challenges remain, such as the continued presence of synthetic opioids, as well as new types of benzodiazepines and synthetic cannabinoids. Therefore, strong international collaboration among all actors is needed to detect, identify, monitor, analyse and share information on the use and risks of these substances. The UNODC early warning advisory and national and regional early warning mechanisms are key to generating the scientific evidence necessary to identify emerging harmful substances and develop appropriate responses at the national and international level. Translating trends into a threat analysis to communicate potential risks and raise awareness is key to reducing risks to public health and for effective policy design and programme interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72899,"journal":{"name":"Emerging trends in drugs, addictions, and health","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100125"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143140989","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigation on the Semi-synthetic Cannabinoids Distributed on the Internet in Japan: Reduced Forms or Acetyl Derivatives of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)","authors":"R. Kikura-Hanajiri,&nbsp;S. Mizutani,&nbsp;M. Kawamura,&nbsp;R. Tanaka,&nbsp;T. Misawa,&nbsp;G. Tsuji,&nbsp;T. Kurohara,&nbsp;M. Ito,&nbsp;Y. Demizu","doi":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100099","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.etdah.2023.100099","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Introduction&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;In recent years, products containing structurally similar substances to ∆9-tetrahydrocannbinol (∆9-THC), the main constituent for the hallucinogenic effects of cannabis, have been widely distributed through the internet. Hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), synthesized easily by the reduction of ∆8-THC and/or Δ9-THC, was listed as a Designated Substance under the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Act in Japan in March 2022; however, other semi-synthetic cannabinoids such as acetyl derivatives of THC and HHC emerged soon. In this study, three products labelled as containing HHC, HHC-O-acetate or THC-O-acetate were analyzed by LC-QTOF MS and GC-QTOF MS, and substances detected in the products were investigated in detail.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Methods&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Three yellowish-brown oil-like products (A, B, and C) obtained via the internet between 2022 and 2023, were extracted under sonication with acetonitrile. Analytical references for diastereomers of HHC (11α- and 11β-HHC), and acetyl derivatives of HHC (11α- and 11β-HHC-O-acetate) and THC (∆8- and Δ9-THC-O-acetate) were synthetized in National Institute of Health Sciences in Japan. LC-QTOF MS measurements were performed under a gradient condition of 0.1% formic acid and 0.1% formic acid/acetonitrile using a Cortecs C18 column (2.1 mm i.d. x 150 mm, 2.7 µm, Waters). GC-QTOF MS measurements were carried out using a HP-5MS column (30 m x 0.25 mm i.d., 0.25 µm, Agilent).&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;In GC-QTOF MS and LC-QTOF MS measurements, the diastereomers of HHC (11α- and 11β-HHC) and cannabinol (CBN) were detected as main peaks in Product A, and dihydro-iso-THC and Δ8-THC were also found in the product. The presence of HHC as the diastereomers together with Δ8-THC suggested that HHC was synthesized by the reduction of Δ8-THC. Furthermore, the detection of dihydro-iso-THC, the reduced form of Δ8-iso-THC and/or Δ4(6)-iso-THC which are by-products of the THC synthesis from cannabidiol (CBD), suggested that Δ8-THC may have been synthesized from CBD. In Product B, the diastereomers of HHC-O-acetate (11α- and 11β-HHC-O-acetate) and CBN-O-acetate were detected as main peaks, and small amounts of 11α- and 11β-HHC were detected only by LC-QTOF MS. The substances in Product B were almost the same as the acetyl derivatives of substances in Product A. In Product C, Δ8-THC-O-acetate was mainly detected, as well as other minor peaks of Δ9-THC-O-acetate, Δ8-THC and CBN-O-acetate. Several small peaks with the same protonated molecular ions as HHC, HHC-O-acetate and THC-O-acetate were also found in Product A, B and C, respectively.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Conclusions&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;The semi-synthetic cannabinoids are detected not only in oil-like products but also in food products such as gummies, and there are concerns about health risks caused by accidental ingestion of these substances. The reduced forms and acetyl derivatives of cannabinoids with different lengths of alkyl side chains of TH","PeriodicalId":72899,"journal":{"name":"Emerging trends in drugs, addictions, and health","volume":"4 ","pages":"Article 100099"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143141023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}