An Efficient Ambient Ionization Mass Spectrometric Approach to Detection and Quantification of the Mescaline Content of Commonly Abused Cacti from the Echinopsis Genus

A rapid screening and quantification method using DART-HRMS detects mescaline in cactus tissue. The method is validated with calibration curves showing R² values of at least 0.995, a lower limit of quantification of 1 ppm, and a linear range of 1–100 ppm. Applied to commercially available Echinopsis species, mescaline levels were less than 2% dry weight in all samples, consistent with previous GC- and LC-MS studies. DART-HRMS is suitable for quickly identifying mescaline and measuring its concentration in complex plant materials.

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Abstract

Abstract Unregulated cacti from the genus Echinopsis are used recreationally as mescaline‐containing alternatives to the outlawed peyote. Echinopsis ‐derived plant materials appear in a variety of nondescript forms, making rapid assessment of whether they are mescaline‐containing materials or simply innocuous plant‐derived food products, very challenging. Reported here is a DART ‐ HRMS approach for the rapid detection of mescaline in whole plant material and a validated method for the quantification of mescaline in cactus tissue, using mescaline‐ d 9 as the internal standard. Calibration curves exhibited R 2 values of ≥0.995, and the method exhibited a LLOQ and a linear range of 1 ppm and 1–100 ppm, respectively. Application of the method to commercially available Echinopsis spp. yielded results consistent with previous studies performed by GC ‐ and LC ‐ MS , with mescaline levels of <2% dry weight in all cases. Therefore, DART ‐ HRMS is a suitable technique for the rapid screening of mescaline and its subsequent quantification within complex plant‐derived matrices.