Development of positional isomer differentiation method of synthetic cannabinoids by GC/MS/MS

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26893105
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Legal medicine
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Kusano Maiko 名古屋大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 特任助教 (60733574)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-08-29 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 分析化学 / 危険ドラッグ / 異性体識別法 / GC/MS/MS

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Synthetic cannabinoids (SC) have structural/positional isomers which may not all be regulated, thus isomeric differentiation becomes crucial as new designer drugs continuously emerge with minor modifications.
Positional isomer differentiation of the SCs JWH-081, JWH-122, JWH-210, and their isomers was attained by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Product ions with the same m/z are suspected to have different properties such as ion configuration and internal energy depending on the position of the functional group, producing characteristic spectra allowing for isomeric differentiation.
Furthermore, differentiation of the hydroxyindole metabolite isomers of JWH-018 was also attained. Results were applied as a hydroxyl-position determining method for the metabolites of JWH-018 by GC-MS/MS in MRM mode to JWH-018 administered mice. Hydroxylation at the 6-position was found to be the likely dominant pathway for JWH-018 metabolism to produce the hydroxyindole metabolites.

Free Research Field

分析化学