title: Detection of 6-acetylmorphine in vitreous humor and cerebrospinal fluid--comparison with urinary analysis for proving heroin administration in opiate fatalities.
abstract: The concentrations of morphine and 6-acetylmorphine (6-AM) in urine, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and vitreous humor (VH) and the morphine concentrations in blood were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for 29 fatalities after abuse of heroin either alone or in combination with alcohol and other drugs. 6-AM was found above a quantitation limit of 1 ng/mL in urine in 89% of the cases, in CSF in 68% of the cases, and in VH in 75% of the cases. The 6-AM concentrations in CSF (mean, 10 ng/mL) and VH (mean, 17 ng/mL) were in general much smaller than in urine (mean, 170 ng/mL); therefore, the different pharmacokinetic behavior of the fluids is discussed. There is no uniformity between the three fluids with respect to the presence or absence of 6-AM. Therefore, CSF or VH may be used as complementary or alternative materials to urine in order to prove heroin uptake in opiate fatalities.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Forensic Medicine, Humboldt-University, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pragst
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Spiegel
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Leuschner
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hager
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D003932:Heroin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009020:Morphine / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000652:urine; D009022:Morphine Derivatives / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000652:urine; D009294:Narcotics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000493:pharmacokinetics* / Q000633:toxicity*; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009022:Morphine Derivatives; D009294:Narcotics; D003932:Heroin; D009020:Morphine; C026979:6-O-monoacetylmorphine