title: When color fails: illicit blue tablets containing anabolic androgen steroids.
abstract: The necessity of specific, confirmatory tests in the identification of seized illicit products was highlighted by the analysis of eighteen heart shaped, blue tablets confiscated by Police at a street control in the North East of Italy. The tablets responded as amphetamines to a preliminary color test (Marquis); a subsequent, confirmatory assay by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed the presence of two anabolic androgen steroids (AAS), methandienone and methyltestosterone, in concentration of 1.7 and 1.5mg respectively per tablet; no trace of amphetamine-like or nitrogen containing compounds was found. The observed orange coloration was due to the reaction of concentrated sulphuric acid, contained in the Marquis reagent, with the Δ(4) C-3 keto group of steroids. The two AAS, banned under the world antidoping code, are not considered as psychoactive drugs of abuse in most countries, although their trafficking may entangle severe public health concerns.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Padova, Via Falloppio 50, I-35121 Padova, Italy. donata.favretto@unipd.it
authors.forename: Donata
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Favretto
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Castagna
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maietti
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boscolo-Berto
authors.forename: Santo Davide
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Ferrara
mesh_terms: D000662:Amphetamines / Q000737:chemistry; D045930:Anabolic Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D000728:Androgens / Q000737:chemistry*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D013287:Illicit Drugs / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D007558:Italy; D008696:Methandrostenolone / Q000737:chemistry; D008777:Methyltestosterone / Q000737:chemistry; D013256:Steroids / Q000737:chemistry*; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods; D013607:Tablets / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000662:Amphetamines; D045930:Anabolic Agents; D000728:Androgens; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D013256:Steroids; D013607:Tablets; D008696:Methandrostenolone; D008777:Methyltestosterone