Ecgonidine

Abstract: [ Abstract A method uslng combined gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for determination of the cocaine pyrolysis product anhydroecgonine methyl ester (AEME) in urine is described. Ustng this method, we found that human subjects who smoked coca|ne under laboratory conditions excreted substantial amounts of AEME in thelr urine. Little, if any, AEME was excreted in the urine when the same subjects were admlnistered coca ine by intravenous and Jntranasal routes. AEME may b~~a useful marker for coca]ne (crack) smoking. The pharmac~logy of AEME is unknown. The possibility that AEME may play a role in the effects associated with cocaine smoking needs to be examined.

Abstract: When cocaine is smoked, a pyrolytic product, methyl ecgonidine (anhydroecgonine methyl ester), is also consumed with the cocaine. The amount of methyl ecgonidine formed depends on the pyrolytic conditions and composition of the illicit cocaine. This procedure describes detection of cocaine and 10 metabolites--cocaethylene, nor-cocaine, nor-cocaethylene, methyl ecgonine, ethyl ecgonine, benzoylecgonine, nor-benzoylecgonine, m-hydroxybenzoylecgonine, p-hydroxybenzoylecgonine and ecgonine--in blood and urine. In addition, the detection of pyrolytic methyl ecgonidine and three metabolites--ecgonidine (anhydroecgonine), ethyl ecgonidine (anhydroecgonine ethyl ester) and nor-ecgonidine (nor-anhydroecgonine)--are included. The newly described metabolites, ethyl ecgonidine and nor-ecgonidine, were synthesized and characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). All 15 compounds were extracted from 3 mL of blood or urine by solid-phase extraction and identified by a GC-MS method. The overall recoveries were 49% for methyl ecgonine, 35% for ethyl ecgonine, 29% for ecgonine and more than 83% for all other drugs. The limits of detection were between 0.5 and 4.0 ng/mL except for ecgonine, which was 16 ng/mL. Linearity for each analyte was established and in all cases correlation coefficients were 0.9985-1.0000. The procedure was applied to examine the concentration profiles of analytes of interest in post-mortem (PM) blood and urine, and in urine collected from living individuals (LV). These specimens previously were shown to be positive for the cocaine metabolite, benzoylecgonine. Ecgonidine, the major metabolite of methyl ecgonidine, was present in 77% of PM and 88% of the LV specimens, indicating smoking as the major route of cocaine administration. The new pyrolytic metabolites, ethyl ecgonidine and nor-ecgonidine, were present in smaller amounts. The urine concentrations of nor-ecgonidine were 0-163 ng/mL in LV and 0-75 ng/mL in PM specimens. Ethyl ecgonidine was found only in PM urine at concentrations 0-39 ng/mL. Ethanol-related cocaine metabolites, ethyl ecgonine or cocaethylene, were present in 69% of PM and 53% of cocaine-positive LV specimens, implying alcohol consumption with cocaine use. The four major metabolites of cocaine--benzoylecgonine, ecgonine, nor-benzoylecgonine and methyl ecgonine--constituted approximately 88 and 97% of all metabolites in PM and LV specimens, respectively. The concentrations of nor-cocaine and nor-cocaethylene were consistently the lowest of all cocaine metabolites. At benzoylecgonine concentrations below 100 ng/mL, ecgonine was present at the highest concentrations. In 20 urine specimens, benzoylecgonine and ecgonine median concentrations (range) were 54 (0-47) and 418 ng/mL (95-684), respectively. Therefore, detection of ecgonine is advantageous when benzoylecgonine concentrations are below 100 ng/mL.

Abstract: A method and device for the detection of vapours of cocaine and associated compounds are disclosed. The method involves sampling a volume of air suspected of containing cocaine vapours, passing this air through a filtration system that removes any particulate matter and binds vapours of cocaine and associated compounds, if present, for further analysis. A preferred associated compound-vapour is that of ecgonidine methyl ester (EDME), as a marker for the presence of cocaine. The device is comprised of a sampling, filtration and vacuum port components and can be easily attached to a container, and suction source, for the sampling of air.

Abstract: 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) μg/L, and 62 (0–2030) μg/L, respectively, for MED; 655 (90–3274) ng/g, 22 (0–52) ng/g, 119 (13–773) μg/L, and 456 (109–7452) μg/L, respectively, for ED; 57 (0–503) ng/g, 187 (0–1403) ng/g, 12 (0–88) μg/L, and 1208 (37–28 062) μg/L, respectively, for COC; and 821 (45–4980) ng/g, 524 (46–5153) ng/g, 458 (30–2071) μg/L, and 6768 (917–116 430) μg/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. Conclusion: ED may be a more useful indicator of crack COC smoking.