TIAFT Young Scientists "Workshop 2001"

Determination of MDMA ("Ecstasy") in saliva with Drugwipe analytical device: a controlled study in recreational users

Monica Navarro*, Magi Farré*,**, Simona Pichini**,***, Piergiorgio Zuccaro***, Roberta Pacifici***, 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

Recently, saliva has been used to realise on-site tests with special devices that permit to perform drug assays immediately at the site of specimen collection. These assays on saliva proved to be sufficiently sensitive for the detection of recent cocaine and amphetamine abuse in suspected users. However, the application of on-site testing of saliva after controlled administration of amphetamine or related compounds was never performed.

Eight healthy volunteers, recreational users of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), were administered with an oral 100 mg dose in a double blind, cross-over with random treatment assignment, balanced with placebo clinical trial. Drugwipe® Amphetamines analytical device was wiped on the tongue of the subjects at different time-intervals ranging from 0 to 24 hours after administration. Furthermore, at each time, a saliva sample (1-2 ml) was obtained by spitting into a plastic tube. The test was reapplied in the laboratory by pipetting 2 ml of saliva on the device pad. The colour reaction in the test-area of the Drugwipe® was measured with the Drugread® hand photometer. Quantitative analyses of salivary samples were also performed by GC/MS. Drugwipe® performed better if applied to a saliva sample in the laboratory than directly on the tongue. At 1.5 and 4 hours after drug administration, 100% subjects gave a positive result, while at 6 hours after treatment 1 out of 8 subjects gave a negative result. At 24 hours, no positive results were observed. Saliva samples from placebo treatment never showed a false positive result. Negative results were observed when MDMA salivary concentrations were under 650 ng/ml.

Although the number of subjects participating in this study is limited, the results support saliva testing with Drugwipe® and Drugread® for monitoring MDMA in the early hours after its use. It may help to screen potentially intoxicated drivers in roadside on site- testing and in the workplace drug testing, when appropriate confirmation with a chromatographic method in saliva can be performed.

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

ABSTRACTS

• Pitfalls associated with the use of a simple sample preparation in the analysis of saliva with LC-ESI-MS/MS.
  K.A. Mortier, K.M. Clauwaert, W.E. Lambert, J.F. Van Bocxlaer, E.G. Van den Eeckhout, C.H. Van Peteghem, and A.P. De Leenheer
   
  
• Oral Fluid Testing in Road Traffic - The German Experience within the ROSITA Project
  S. Steinmeyer, H. Ohr, and M. R. Moeller
   
  
• 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
  Fiona M. Wylie and John S. Oliver
   
  
• 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
  Monica Navarro, Magi Farré, Simona Pichini, Piergiorgio Zuccaro, Roberta Pacifici, Jordi Ortuño, Pere Nolasc Roset, Ester Menoyo, Jordi Segura, Rafael de la Torre
   
  
• Elimination kinetics of oral nandrolone in urine and saliva
  V. Cirimele, P. Kintz B. Ludes
   
  
• Determination of Cocaine and its Metabolites in Saliva by GC/MS-EI
  P. Campora O.; A.M. Bermejo B.; M.J. Tabernero and P. Fernandez.
   
  
• The Finnish experience from the ROSITA project
  Marielle Grönholm and Pirjo Lillsunde