title: Postmortem redistribution of the heroin metabolites morphine and morphine-3-glucuronide in rabbits over 24 h.
abstract: The interpretation of postmortem drug levels is complicated by changes in drug blood levels in the postmortem period, a phenomena known as postmortem drug redistribution. We investigated the postmortem redistribution of the heroin metabolites morphine and morphine-3-glucuronide in a rabbit model. Heroin (1 mg/kg) was injected into anesthetised rabbit; after 1 h, an auricular vein blood sample was taken and the rabbit was euthanised. Following death rabbits were placed in a supine position at room temperature and divided into three groups namely (1) immediate autopsy, (2) autopsy after 30 minutes and (3) autopsy 24 h after death. Various samples which included femoral blood, cardiac blood, lung, liver, kidney, vitreous humour, subcutaneous and abdominal fat, liver, bone marrow and skeletal muscle were taken. The samples were analysed with a validated LC-MS/MS method. It was observed that within minutes there was a significant increase in free morphine postmortem femoral blood concentration compared to the antemortem sample (0.01 ± 0.01 to 0.05 ± 0.02 mg/L).Various other changes in free morphine and metabolite concentrations were observed during the course of the experiment in various tissues. Principal component analysis was used to investigate possible correlations between free morphine in the various samples. Some correlations were observed but gave poor predictions (>20 % error) when back calculating. The results suggest that rabbits are a good model for further studies of postmortem redistribution but that further study and understanding of the phenomena is required before accurate predictions of the blood concentration at the time of death are possible.
authors: Centre for Forensic and Legal Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 4HN, Scotland, UK. p.d.maskell@hud.ac.uk.|Department of Chemical and Forensic Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, UK. p.d.maskell@hud.ac.uk.
authors: Peter D
authors: PD
authors: Maskell
authors: Poison Control and Medical Forensic Chemistry Center, P O Box 583, 45931, Gizan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors: Mohammed
authors: M
authors: Albeishy
authors: Centre for Forensic and Legal Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 4HN, Scotland, UK.
authors: Giorgia
authors: G
authors: De Paoli
authors: Centre for Forensic and Legal Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 4HN, Scotland, UK.
authors: Nathan E
authors: NE
authors: Wilson
authors: Centre for Forensic and Legal Medicine, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 4HN, Scotland, UK.|School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK.
authors: L Nitin
authors: LN
authors: Seetohul
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000737:chemistry; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D053593:Forensic Toxicology; D003932:Heroin / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D007668:Kidney / Q000737:chemistry; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008168:Lung / Q000737:chemistry; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D023421:Models, Animal; D009020:Morphine / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D009022:Morphine Derivatives / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry; D009294:Narcotics / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011817:Rabbits; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D009022:Morphine Derivatives; D009294:Narcotics; D003932:Heroin; D009020:Morphine; C018108:morphine-3-glucuronide
keywords: Animal model; Heroin; Morphine; Morphine-3-glucoronide; Postmortem redistribution; Rabbit