Thin-Layer Chromatography Method for the Detection of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine in Seized Street Samples

Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is an endogenous hallucinogen traditionally used in the orally active preparation Ayahuasca by indigenous Amazonian communities. Recreational DMT use is increasing worldwide, with smoking being the most prevalent route of administration. DMT dose-dependently elevates blood pressure, heart rate, pupil diameter, rectal temperature, and blood concentrations of beta-endorphin, corticotrophins, cortisol, and prolactin; growth hormone levels rise equally across doses, while melatonin remains unaffected. Little information exists on DMT in street samples. A fast, reliable, low-cost method using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) was developed and validated for detecting and quantifying DMT in illicit powder samples, with uncertainty also evaluated.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is an endogenous hallucinogen with traditional use as a ceremony in the orally active preparation of Ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic beverage used by indigenous communities in the Amazon. Although the religious use of Ayahuasca has been studied extensively, very little is known about the recreational use of DMT [1]. Recently, many people have shown prominent attention in traditional indigenous practices and popular medicine, involving the ingestion of natural psychotropic drugs [2]. The consumption of Ayahuasca is increasing worldwide due to the expansion of syncretic religions founded in the north of Brazil in the first half of the twentieth century, such as Santo Daime. This product contains N,Ndimethyltryptamine which needs coadministration of naturally occurring monoamine oxidase inhibitors, for example, β-carboline derivatives, in order to induce its psychoactive effects in humans, so this substance is required by users of DMT to be effective orally [3]. Dimethyltryptamine dose-dependently elevated blood pressure, heart rate, pupil diameter, and rectal temperature, in addition to elevating blood concentrations of bendorphin, corticotrophins, cortisol, and prolactin. Growth hormone blood levels rose equally in response to all doses of DMT, even though melatonin levels are unaffected [4]. While previous studies of DMT use had examined Ayahuasca use exclusively [5], several studies had demonstrated the ubiquity of smoking as the most prevalent route of administration among recreational DMT users. A wide spread of analytical methods had been developed in order to establish the composition of Ayahuasca, but there is not much information available about the analysis of DMT in street samples. Due to this reason, we implemented a fast and reliable method for the determination of DMT by HPTLC that offers many advantages such as rapidness, low cost, accuracy, and precision. The use of validated methods is significant for an analytical laboratory to show its qualification and capabilities [6]. In this scenario, we developed and validated a rapid and simple method for the detection and quantitation of DMT in illicit powder samples. Besides validation parameters, the uncertainty of the method was also evaluated [7].