INSPEQT project: investigation of new psychoactive substances in chemistry and forensic toxicology

Abstract

The new psychoactive substances (NPS) are a global and emerging phenomenon, with 111 countries having reported seizures and identification of more than 800 compounds, among which are synthetic cannabinoids, stimulants, hallucinogens and synthetic opioids. NPS have challenged the traditional approaches in monitoring, surveillance, control and public health protection measures in relation to drug trafficking and abuse. Specific difficulties include the large number and diversity of substances classified as NPS, the speed with which they enter and exit the illicit market, the different forms of drug presentation, the difficulty in identifying chemically NSP and the lack of knowledge of the potency and range of their toxic effects on users. This project aims to develop chemical identification strategies for these compounds, both in the seized raw drug (in its various presentations) and in biological samples of forensic toxicological interest (urine, blood and oral fluid). Forensic chemical analyses of the raw drug will be applied to samples seized by the forensic institutions partnering in the project. The data generated and the constant monitoring of chemical analyses will guide the acquisition of NPS reference standards for the development of bioanalytical methods for forensic toxicological analysis, using chromatographic techniques coupled with mass spectrometry. These methods will be developed considering recent sample preparation techniques based on Green Analytical Chemistry. Thus, the construction of a robust and integrated knowledge and monitoring network of the NPS phenomenon is expected, with developed and validated analytical and bioanalytical methods, incidence data in different regions of Brazil and toxicological information on the effects and concentration levels found in biological samples. (AU)