Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Furanylfentanyl in whole blood measured by GC–MS/MS after QuEChERS extraction in a fatal case

  • Case Report
  • Published:
Forensic Toxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this work is the determination of the probable cause of a person’s death on the basis of analytical results obtained from the deceased’s blood sample.

Methods

To establish the concentration of furanylfentanyl (Fu-F) in whole blood samples, QuEChERS extraction coupled with gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS) was applied.

Results

The following QuEChERS parameters have been established as optimal for Fu-F analysis: NaCl 80 mg; MgSO4 150 mg; acetonitrile 650 µL, and C-18 sorbents 12.5 mg for a 350 mg blood sample. The following validation parameters characterized the analytical utility of the described method: linearity (R2 = 0.9975), limit of detection = 0.42 ng/mL and limit of quantification = 1.39 ng/mL, and satisfactory inter- and intraday precisions (% relative standard deviation ≤ 5.73). The postmortem analysis of whole blood samples disclosed a high concentration of Fu-F at 11.2 ng/mL.

Conclusions

The present paper describes a fatal case of Fu-F overdose. The described analytical method involving QuEChERS sample preparation procedure followed by multiple reaction monitoring of GC–MS/MS was very convenient to find the presence of Fu-F in postmortem whole blood samples and to establish its concentration. The known circumstances of death in combination with the obtained analytical data indicated that the deceased young male probably got fatally poisoned by Fu-F. The high concentration of Fu-F (11.2 ng/mL) in his postmortem whole blood sample was several times higher than that described in the forensic literature. In our knowledge, this is the first trial to analyze Fu-F by GC–MS/MS.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Labutin AV, Temerdashev AZ, Dukova OA, Suvorova EV, Nemihin VV (2017) Identification of furanoylfentanil and its metabolites in human urine. J Environ Anal Toxicol 7:456. https://doi.org/10.4172/2161-0525.1000456(open access article)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. WHO (2017) Furanyl fentanyl: review report, agenda item 4.6. Expert Committee on Drug Dependence, thirty-ninth meeting, Geneva, 6–10 November 2017. https://www.who.int/medicines/access/controlled-substances/Critical_Review_FuranylFentanyl.pdf. Accessed 17 Nov 2017

  3. EMCDDA (2017) EMCDDA-Europol Joint Report on a new psychoactive substance: methyl 1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-[phenyl(propanoyl)amino]piperidine-4-carboxylate (carfentanil). EMCDDA, Luxemburg. https://doi.org/10.2810/282222

  4. Goggin MM, Nguyen A, Janis GC (2017) Identification of unique metabolites of the designer opioid furanyl fentanyl. J Anal Toxicol 41:367–375. https://doi.org/10.1093/jat/bkx022

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Huang B-S, Terrell RC, Deutsche KH, Kudzma LV, Lalinde NL (1986) United States patent, No. 4584303. https://patents.google.com/patent/US4584303A/en. Accessed 22 Apr 1986

  6. Mohr AL, Friscia M, Papsun D, Kacinko SL, Buzby D, Logan BK (2016) Analysis of novel synthetic opioids U-47700, U-50488 and furanyl fentanyl by LC–MS/MS in postmortem casework. J Anal Toxicol 40:709–717. https://doi.org/10.1093/jat/bkw086

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Mikhalovsky SV, Gun’Ko VM, Turov VV, Leboda R, Betz WR (2005) Investigation of structural and adsorptive characteristics of various carbons. Adsorption 11:657–662. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10450-005-6002-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Anastassiades M, Lehotay SJ, Stajnbaher D, Schenck FJ (2003) Fast and easy multiresidue method employing acetonitrile extraction/partitioning and “dispersive solid-phase extraction” for the determination of pesticide residues in produce. J AOAC Int 86:412–431 (PMID:12723926)

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Dybowski MP, Dawidowicz AL (2018) Application of the QuEChERS procedure for analysis of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and its metabolites in authentic whole blood samples by GC–MS/MS. Forensic Toxicol 36:415–423. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11419-018-0419-8

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Kusano M, Sakamoto Y, Natori Y, Miyagawa H, Tsuchihashi H, Ishii A, Zaitsu K (2019) Development of “Quick-DB forensic”: a total workflow from QuEChERS-dSPE method to GC–MS/MS quantification of forensically relevant drugs and pesticides in whole blood. Forensic Sci Int 300:125–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.03.048

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Usui K, Hashiyada M, Hayashizaki Y, Igari Y, Hosoya T, Sakai J, Funayama M (2014) Application of modified QuEChERS method to liver samples for forensic toxicological analysis. Forensic Toxicol 32:139–147. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11419-013-0199-0

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Islas G, Ibarra IS, Hernandez P, Miranda JM, Cepeda A (2017) Dispersive solid phase extraction for the analysis of veterinary drugs applied to food samples: a review. Int J Anal Chem 2017:8215271. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/8215271(open access article)

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Peters FT, Drummer OH, Musshoff F (2007) Validation of new methods. Forensic Sci Int 165:216–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2006.05.021

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Helander A, Bäckberg M, Beck O (2016) Intoxications involving the fentanyl analogs acetylfentanyl, 4-methoxybutyrfentanyl and furanylfentanyl: results from the Swedish STRIDA project. Clin Toxicol 54:324–332. https://doi.org/10.3109/15563650.2016.1139715

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Guerrieri D, Rapp E, Roman M, Druid H, Kronstrand R (2017) Postmortem and toxicological findings in a series of furanylfentanyl-related deaths. J Anal Toxicol 41:242–249. https://doi.org/10.1093/jat/bkw129(open access article)

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Swanson DM, Hair LS, Strauch Rivers SR, Smyth BC, Brogan SC, Ventoso AD, Vaccaro SL, Pearson JM (2017) Fatalities involving carfentanil and furanyl fentanyl: two case reports. J Anal Toxicol 41:498–502. https://doi.org/10.1093/jat/bkx037(open access article)

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Misailidi N, Papoutsis I, Nikolaou P, Katselou M, Spiliopoulou C, Athanaselis S (2018) Furanylfentanyl: another fentanyl analogue, another hazard for public health. Forensic Toxicol 36:1–11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11419-017-0371-z

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Drummer OH (2019) Fatalities caused by novel opioids: a review. Forensic Sci Res 4:95–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/20961790.2018.1460063

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Tabarra I, Soares S, Rosado T, Gonçalves J, Luís Â, Malaca S, Barroso M, Keller T, Restolho J, Gallardo E (2019) Novel synthetic opioids—toxicological aspects and analysis. Forensic Sci Res 4:111–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/20961790.2019.1588933

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  20. Homer N, Kothiya S, Rutter A, Walker BR, Andrew R (2017) Gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry offers advantages for urinary steroids analysis. Anal Biochem 538:34–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ab.2017.09.002

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Sachs H, Uhl M, Hege-Scheuing G, Schneider E (1996) Analysis of fentanyl and sufentanil in hair by GC/MS/MS. Int J Leg Med 109:213–215. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01225521

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Mochizuki A, Nakazawa H, Adachi N, Takekawa K, Shojo H (2018) Identification and quantification of mepirapim and acetyl fentanyl in authentic human whole blood and urine samples by GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS. Forensic Toxicol 36:81–87. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11419-017-0384-7

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Usui K, Hayashizaki Y, Hashiyada M, Funayama M (2012) Rapid drug extraction from human whole blood using a modified QuEChERS extraction method. Leg Med 14:286–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.legalmed.2012.04.008

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Yonemitsu K, Sasao A, Mishima S, Ohtsu Y, Nishitani Y (2016) A fatal poisoning case by intravenous injection of “bath salts” containing acetyl fentanyl and 4-methoxy PV8. Forensic Sci Int 267:e6–e9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2016.08.025

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Lehmann S, Schulze B, Thomas A, Kamphausen T, Thevis M, Rothschild M, Mercer-Chalmers-Bender K (2018) Organ distribution of 4-MEC, MDPV, methoxetamine and α-PVP: comparison of QuEChERS and SPE. Forensic Toxicol 36:320–333. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11419-018-0408-y

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chromatography, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Sciences, Maria Curie Sklodowska University in Lublin, 20-031, Lublin, Poland

    Michal P. Dybowski & Andrzej L. Dawidowicz

Authors
  1. Michal P. Dybowski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Andrzej L. Dawidowicz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michal P. Dybowski.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

There are no financial or other relations that could lead to a conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

The analysis of Fu-F in postmortem whole blood specimens was requested by prosecutor’s office of the Lublin province authority. Small amounts of blank whole blood were collected from five volunteers after obtaining informed consent from each of them. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dybowski, M.P., Dawidowicz, A.L. Furanylfentanyl in whole blood measured by GC–MS/MS after QuEChERS extraction in a fatal case. Forensic Toxicol 38, 496–504 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11419-019-00515-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11419-019-00515-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation