A Fatal Case of Pentedrone and -Pyrrolidinovalerophenone Poisoning
Open Access
- 3 March 2015
- journal article
- case report
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Journal of Analytical Toxicology
- Vol. 39 (4), 324-329
- https://doi.org/10.1093/jat/bkv011
Abstract
We report a fatal case of combined α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (α-PVP) and 2-(methylamino)-1-phenylpentan-1-one (pentedrone) poisoning. A 28-year-old man was taken to hospital in asystole. Despite resuscitation efforts over 30 min, he died. The forensic autopsy showed pulmonary edema and moderately advanced atherosclerotic lesions of the arteries. Microscopic observation revealed chronic changes in the heart. Confirmation of the presence of pentedrone, α-PVP, and its metabolite 1-phenyl-2-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)pentan-1-ol (OH-α-PVP) in tissues and fluids were achieved using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis after liquid–liquid extraction. A quantitative validated liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry method was used to determine the concentrations of the above designer drugs in postmortem samples. Pentedrone, α-PVP, and OH-α-PVP concentrations were 8,794, 901 and 185 ng/mL in whole blood, respectively; 100,044, 2,610 and 2,264 ng/g in the liver, respectively; 22,102, 462 and 294 ng/g in the kidney, respectively; 13,248, 120 and 91 ng/g in the brain, respectively and 500,534, 4,190 and 47 ng/g in the stomach contents, respectively. This is the first known reported death attributed to the combined use of α-PVP and pentedrone. Additionally, this article is the first to report the distribution of pentedrone in postmortem human samples.Keywords
This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit:
- Postmortem distribution of α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone and its metabolite in body fluids and solid tissues in a fatal poisoning case measured by LC–MS–MS with the standard addition methodForensic Toxicology, 2014
- Monoamine transporter and receptor interaction profiles of a new series of designer cathinonesNeuropharmacology, 2014
- Recently abused synthetic cathinones, α-pyrrolidinophenone derivatives: a review of their pharmacology, acute toxicity, and metabolismForensic Toxicology, 2013
- Khat and synthetic cathinones: a reviewArchives of Toxicology, 2013
- Metabolism of the newly encountered designer drug α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone in humans: identification and quantitation of urinary metabolitesForensic Toxicology, 2013
- Time-course profile of urinary excretion of intravenously administered α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone and α-pyrrolidinobutiophenone in a humanForensic Toxicology, 2013
- In silico and in vitro metabolism studies support identification of designer drugs in human urine by liquid chromatography/quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometryAnalytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 2013
- Urinary excretion and metabolism of the newly encountered designer drug 3,4-dimethylmethcathinone in humansForensic Toxicology, 2012
- Cardiovascular toxicity of novel psychoactive drugs: Lessons from the pastProgress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 2012
- Cathinone derivatives: A review of their chemistry, pharmacology and toxicologyDrug Testing and Analysis, 2011