Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis
June 15, 2024
Giorgia Sprega, Giorgi Kobidze, Alfredo Fabrizio Lo Faro et al.
4 citations
An improved chiral LC-MS/MS method separates all four pairs of enantiomers of MDMA and its major phase-1 metabolites (HMA, HMMA, MDA) on a single Lux AMP column within six minutes, using an optimized mobile phase and column dimensions. The method was applied to human plasma, oral fluid, and urine. In urine, hydrolysis of glucuronides with hydrochloric acid or glucuronidase was tested to evaluate effects on the concentration and enantiomeric distribution of the hydroxy metabolites HMA and HMMA.
Journal of analytical toxicology
March 15, 2026
Aurora Balloni, Sarah M R Wille, Giorgia Sprega et al.
MDMA (Ecstasy) is broken down and cleared from the body at different rates for its two mirror-image forms. In oral fluid from 161 samples, the S-(+)-enantiomer of MDMA was eliminated faster (half-life 3.3 hours) than the R-(-)-enantiomer (half-life 4.8 hours). Both reached peak levels within 1.75 hours after taking the drug. For the metabolite MDA, the second enantiomer cleared more quickly (half-life 9.6 hours) than the first (23.8 hours). The ratio of R to S MDMA increased over time, which could help estimate when the drug was taken. In roadside checks, 54.5% of cases had an R/S ratio above 1.5, suggesting use within the prior 24 hours.
Expert Opinion on Drug Metabolism & Toxicology
December 2, 2022
J. Carlier, S. Malaca, M. Huestis et al.
The psychedelic tryptamine 4-hydroxy-N,N-methylpropyltryptamine (4-OH-MPT) is metabolized by human hepatocytes into three phase I and four phase II metabolites, including N-oxidation and N-demethylation products as well as glucuronide and sulfate conjugates. These findings suggest that 4-OH-MPT-N-oxide and 4-hydroxy-N,N-propyltryptamine (4-OH-PT) can serve as biomarkers of intake after hydrolysis of glucuronide or sulfate conjugates in biological samples, while 4-OH-MPT-glucuronide is a useful biomarker when hydrolysis is not performed. The metabolic profile aligns with that of other tryptamine analogues, and further research is needed to confirm the specificity of these markers for forensic or clinical detection.