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Studies on the phase I metabolism of the new designer drug 3-fluoromethcathinone using rabbit liver slices

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An Erratum to this article was published on 06 October 2011

Abstract

The metabolism of the novel designer drug 3-fluoromethcathinone (3-FMC), sold as “legal highs”, was investigated in vitro via cryopreserved rabbit liver slices. The pharmacological properties and toxicological effects of 3-FMC and its metabolites are not known yet. It can be assumed that 3-FMC will cause effects similar to 4-methylmethcathinone (mephedrone) and methcathinone. For the metabolism studies, pretests were performed with rabbit liver slices incubated with kavain to evaluate optimal conditions. Finally, six known metabolites of kavain were revealed and therefore sufficient information about the suitability of the enzyme system of the rabbit liver slices was obtained. Under optimized conditions, 3-FMC was added to Krebs–Henseleit buffer, pH 7.4 containing NADPH and bicarbonate and incubated with a single rabbit liver slice at 37°C. The metabolism was monitored at 5, 30 and 180 min, respectively. The metabolites formed via the former cryopreserved rabbit liver slices were examined by LC/MS-TOF. Metabolites were identified by their exact masses and isotopic patterns. 3-Fluorocathinone, 3-fluorocathinone-imine, hydroxy-3-fluoromethcathinone and 3-fluoromethcathinone-diol were formed as the main metabolites.

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Ethical standards

We declare that the present study complies with the current German law. The rabbit was slaughtered by the butcher and sold for food consumption. Usually, the liver would have been sold together with the slaughtered rabbit, the study is therefore not declared as an animal test.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the non profit association VEGaS (Verein zur Erforschung der Gefahren durch Drogen und andere Rauschmittel im Straßenverkehr e.V. ) in Duesseldorf, Germany for the appropriation of financial aids.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Animal welfare

No animal experiment was carried out.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Legal Medicine, Heinrich-Heine University, Duesseldorf, Germany

    Evelyn Pawlik & Thomas Daldrup

  2. State Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Duesseldorf, Germany

    Gerd Plässer & Hellmut Mahler

  3. Landeskriminalamt NRW, Kriminalwissenschaftliches und-Technisches Institut, Völklinger Strasse 49, 40221, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Hellmut Mahler

Authors
  1. Evelyn Pawlik
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  2. Gerd Plässer
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  3. Hellmut Mahler
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  4. Thomas Daldrup
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hellmut Mahler.

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Pawlik, E., Plässer, G., Mahler, H. et al. Studies on the phase I metabolism of the new designer drug 3-fluoromethcathinone using rabbit liver slices. Int J Legal Med 126, 231–240 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-011-0601-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-011-0601-6

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