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A case of death caused by abuse of a synthetic cannabinoid N-1-naphthalenyl-1-pentyl-1H-indole-3-carboxamide

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Abstract

A man aged in his twenties was found dead on the floor in his room. A package containing dried herbal blend labeled “Fairy evolution” and smoking devices were found in the room. The postmortem interval of the deceased was estimated to be 3 days. The autopsy disclosed no marked findings explaining the cause of death. Toxicological analyses by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry revealed the presence of N-1-naphthalenyl-1-pentyl-1H-indole-3-carboxamide (NNEI) in the herbal blend and in specimens taken from the victim. The concentrations in the blood and adipose tissue specimens were 0.64–0.99 and 42.9 ng/ml, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first report to describe NNEI concentrations in human specimens in the fatal poisoning case.

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Correspondence to Chizuko Sasaki.

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Sasaki, C., Saito, T., Shinozuka, T. et al. A case of death caused by abuse of a synthetic cannabinoid N-1-naphthalenyl-1-pentyl-1H-indole-3-carboxamide. Forensic Toxicol 33, 165–169 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11419-014-0246-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11419-014-0246-5

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