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Forensic analysis of Salvia divinorum using multivariate statistical procedures. Part I: discrimination from related Salvia species

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Abstract

Salvia divinorum is a hallucinogenic herb that is internationally regulated. In this study, salvinorin A, the active compound in S. divinorum, was extracted from S. divinorum plant leaves using a 5-min extraction with dichloromethane. Four additional Salvia species (Salvia officinalis, Salvia guaranitica, Salvia splendens, and Salvia nemorosa) were extracted using this procedure, and all extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Differentiation of S. divinorum from other Salvia species was successful based on visual assessment of the resulting chromatograms. To provide a more objective comparison, the total ion chromatograms (TICs) were subjected to principal components analysis (PCA). Prior to PCA, the TICs were subjected to a series of data pretreatment procedures to minimize non-chemical sources of variance in the data set. Successful discrimination of S. divinorum from the other four Salvia species was possible based on visual assessment of the PCA scores plot. To provide a numerical assessment of the discrimination, a series of statistical procedures such as Euclidean distance measurement, hierarchical cluster analysis, Student’s t tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, and Pearson product moment correlation were also applied to the PCA scores. The statistical procedures were then compared to determine the advantages and disadvantages for forensic applications.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge Dr. Joseph Tychonievich and Prof. Ryan Warner (Department of Horticulture, Michigan State University) for samples of S. guaranitica, S. splendens, and S. nemorosa. Dr. Kathryn Severin (Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University) is also acknowledged for training and use of the GC-MS. This project was partially funded by the Midwest Forensics Resource Center (grant no. SC-10-335) and by a Forensic Sciences Foundation/National Institute of Justice Student Research Grant. The opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Justice.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Melissa A. Bodnar Willard & Victoria L. McGuffin

  2. Forensic Science Program, School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Melissa A. Bodnar Willard & Ruth Waddell Smith

Authors
  1. Melissa A. Bodnar Willard
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  2. Victoria L. McGuffin
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  3. Ruth Waddell Smith
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Victoria L. McGuffin or Ruth Waddell Smith.

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Bodnar Willard, M.A., McGuffin, V.L. & Waddell Smith, R. Forensic analysis of Salvia divinorum using multivariate statistical procedures. Part I: discrimination from related Salvia species. Anal Bioanal Chem 402, 833–842 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-011-5479-0

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