title: Comprehensive review of the detection methods for synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones.
abstract: A number ofN-alkyl indole or indazole-3-carbonyl analogs, with modified chemical structures, are distributed throughout the world as synthetic cannabinoids. Like synthetic cannabinoids, cathinone analogs are also abused and cause serious problems worldwide. Acute deaths caused by overdoses of these drugs have been reported. Various analytical methods that can cope with the rapid changes in chemical structures are required for routine analysis and screening of these drugs in seized and biological materials for forensic and clinical purposes. Although many chromatographic methods to analyze each drug have been published, there are only a few articles summarizing these analytical methods. This review presents the various colorimetric detections, immunochemical assays, gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric methods, and liquid chromatographic-mass spectrometric methods proposed for the analysis of synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, 734-8553 Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Namera
authors.affiliation: Forensic Science Laboratory, Hiroshima Prefectural Police Headquarters, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Maho
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.affiliation: Forensic Science Laboratory, Hiroshima Prefectural Police Headquarters, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, Isehara, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Institute of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, 734-8553 Japan.
authors.forename: Masataka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagao
keywords: Analytical methods; Cannabimimetics; Cathinones; GC–MS-MS; LC–MS-MS; Synthetic cannabinoids