Examination of postmortem fluids and tissues for the presence of methylecgonidine, ecgonidine, cocaine, and benzoylecgonine using solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
BACKGROUND
During the smoking of crack cocaine (COC), methyl ecgonidine (MED) is formed as one of the pyrolysis products. Once in the body, MED is converted to ecgonidine (ED) through several processes that include spontaneous hydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis. The presence of MED and/or ED could provide valuable information to help determine antemortem conditions in cases where COC is involved. Our goal was to examine postmortem tissues and fluids for the presence of MED, ED, COC, and benzoylecgonine (BZ).


METHODS
Liver, brain, blood, and urine specimens obtained from 15 postmortem cases were extracted using solid-phase extraction, derivatized, and analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with selective-ion monitoring.


RESULTS
Median concentrations (range) of drugs observed in postmortem liver, brain, blood, and urine were 0 (0-10) ng/g, 7 (0-92) ng/g, 0 (0-42) microg/L, and 62 (0-2030) microg/L, respectively, for MED; 655 (90-3274) ng/g, 22 (0-52) ng/g, 119 (13-773) microg/L, and 456 (109-7452) microg/L, respectively, for ED; 57 (0-503) ng/g, 187 (0-1403) ng/g, 12 (0-88) microg/L, and 1208 (37-28 062) microg/L, respectively, for COC; and 821 (45-4980) ng/g, 524 (46-5153) ng/g, 458 (30-2071) microg/L, and 6768 (917-116 430) microg/L, respectively, for BZ. MED was detected in 12 of 15 postmortem cases. The concentrations were highest in urine compared with liver, brain, and blood. The hydrolysis product ED was detected in all postmortem cases, and the concentrations were substantially higher than MED in all liver, blood, and urine specimens.


CONCLUSIONS
ED may be a more useful indicator of crack COC smoking.
Shimomura
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ET
Division of Forensic Toxicology, Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, 1413 Research Blvd., Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
Hodge
G D
GD
Paul
B D
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D001826:Body Fluids / Q000737:chemistry; D003042:Cocaine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D011180:Postmortem Changes
C068464:anhydroecgonine methyl ester; C005618:benzoylecgonine; C120357:ecgonidine; D003042:Cocaine