title: Distribution of codeine, morphine, and 6-acetylmorphine in vitreous humor.
abstract: Two hundred and twenty-three vitreous humor specimens, which were obtained from a medical examiner's office, were found to be opiate positive (cutoff, 50 ng/mL) by fluorescence polarization immunoassay. All samples were analyzed for their free codeine, morphine, and 6-acetylmorphine contents by a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry protocol. 6-Acetylmorphine was found (cutoff, 10 ng/mL) in 41 specimens in the concentration range of 10-125 ng/mL. Twenty specimens had a free codeine-free morphine concentration ratio > or = 1. Eighty-five samples that were found to contain 50 ng/mL free morphine were further analyzed for their total codeine and total morphine contents. Total codeine-total morphine concentration ratios in 8 (of the 85 samples) were > or = 1, whereas this ratio in the others (only those with a codeine concentration high than 15 ng/mL were included) was significantly lower than 1. The codeine-morphine concentration ratio in vitreous humor appears to resemble that reported for blood and urine and can be used as the basis for differentiating between codeine- and morphine- (heroin-) induced fatalities.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Taipei Medical College, Taiwan (ROC).
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Havier
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D002423:Cause of Death; D003061:Codeine / Q000032:analysis / Q000506:poisoning; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D062787:Drug Overdose; D006801:Humans; D009020:Morphine / Q000032:analysis; D009022:Morphine Derivatives / Q000032:analysis; D009294:Narcotics / Q000032:analysis*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D009022:Morphine Derivatives; D009294:Narcotics; D009020:Morphine; C026979:6-O-monoacetylmorphine; D003061:Codeine