TIAFT Young Scientists "Workshop 2001"

Determination of MDMA ("Ecstasy") in saliva: a controlled study in recreational users

Monica Navarro*, Magi Farré*,**, Simona Pichini**,***, Jordi Ortuño*, Pere Nolasc Roset*, Ester Menoyo*, Jordi Segura*,****, Rafael de la Torre*,**

* Department of Pharmacology, Institut Municipal d'Investigaciò Mèdica (IMIM)
** Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
*** Clinical Biochemistry Department, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma, Italy
**** Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain

Saliva is an alternative biological matrix for drugs of abuse testing with several advantages over conventional matrices such as blood and urine. Collection is rapid and non-invasive. Several reports have detailed the appearance of drugs of abuse in saliva, but few have presented the excretion profile of amphetamines and related compounds after a controlled administration.

Saliva and plasma samples were collected from eight healthy volunteers, recreational users of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Subjects were administered with an oral 100 mg dose in a double blind, cross-over with random treatment assignment, balanced with placebo clinical trial. Parent drug and main metabolites were determined by gas-chromatography/mass spectrometry in both fluids and apparent pharmacokinetic parameters of MDMA in saliva were estimated. Saliva to plasma ratios were also calculated at each time interval and correlated to saliva pH.

MDMA, 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy methamphetamine (HMMA) could be detected in saliva. Peak MDMA concentration in saliva, was achieved at 1.5 hours after administration, (range 1728.9-6510.6 ng/ml). Then, salivary concentrations declined, reaching a mean concentration of 126.2 ng/ml by 24 hours after intake. Saliva to plasma ratio (S/R) of MDMA concentrations varied between 32.3 and 1.2 and presented a mean maximum value of 18.1 at 1.5 hours. Salivary pH appeared to be affected by MDMA administration. Salivary pH was 0.6 units (from 7.4 at predose to 6.8 at 4h) lower in the MDMA condition, that has to be compared with a 0.2 units reduction in the placebo condition. Lowest salivary pH values corresponded to the highest MDMA salivary concentrations and hence S/R showed to be strongly dependent on salivary pH. Several clinical variables (cardiovascular effects, psychomotor performance...) were correlated with plasma and saliva concentrations.

The measurement of MDMA in saliva is a suitable alternative to plasma in clinical and toxicological situations. It may help to establish if subjects are under the influence of the drug, in a much less invasive way than with plasma and without specific requirements for sample collection, facilitating its on-site performance.

Acknowledgements: This investigation was supported by: FIS 97/1198 and 98/0081, CIRIT 99-SGR-242 and PNSD (Spain).

ABSTRACTS

• Pitfalls associated with the use of a simple sample preparation in the analysis of saliva with LC-ESI-MS/MS.
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• Oral Fluid Testing in Road Traffic - The German Experience within the ROSITA Project
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• The use of oral fluid and sweat wipes for the detection of drugs of abuse in impaired drivers
  Nele Samyn, Bart Viaene, Bart Laeremans, Gert De Boeck
   
  
• Detection of Fluoxetine and Norfluoxetine in Saliva
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• Measurement of Amphetamines in Biological Samples by LC-MS/MS
  Michelle Wood, Michael Morris, Donald P Cooper
   
  
• Immunochromatographic teststrips for saliva analysis
  Jörg Zimmermann1, Nele Samyn, Maria da Costa, Thomas Wuske, Rainer Polzius, Hans-Jürgen Duchstein1
   
  
• Determination of MDMA ('Ecstasy') in saliva: a controlled study in recreational users
  Monica Navarro, Magi Farré, Simona Pichini, Jordi Ortuño, Pere Nolasc Roset, Ester Menoyo, Jordi Segura, Rafael de la Torre
   
  
• Determination of MDMA ('Ecstasy') in saliva with Drugwipe analytical device: a controlled study in recreational users
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• Elimination kinetics of oral nandrolone in urine and saliva
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• Determination of Cocaine and its Metabolites in Saliva by GC/MS-EI
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• The Finnish experience from the ROSITA project
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