Vitreos humor: an alternative for investigation of drugs of abuse post-mortem

• Grant number: 11/02210-7
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: August 01, 2011 - July 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Toxicological Analysis
• Principal Investigator: Bruno Spinosa de Martinis
• Grantee: Bruno Spinosa de Martinis
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Mariana Dadalto Peres

Abstract

Vitreous humor is the aqueous gel located in the posterior cavity of the eye between the lens and retina. Drugs and drug metabolites passively diffuse into the vitreous humor and analyte concentrations are often similar to the drug concentrations in the circulating blood. The vitreous humor is a simple specimen in analytical terms when compared with blood and urine. It's stable, much less susceptible to possible post-mortem changes and bacterial contamination. Vitreous humor can be collected easily by direct aspiration during autopsy and then used to determinate drugs postmortem. The quantification of medical or toxic substances in vitreous humor (VH) could be very useful in forensic toxicology when blood sample determinations are impossible due to absence or deterioration. However, few studies have been made in this area. The alcohol and others illicit drugs are associated with an increased of the risk of violent death. The development of a sensible and fast methodology using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to analyze cocaine, marijuana, opiates, amphetamines, their derivatives and metabolites in vitreous humor samples will identify the relationship of drugs of abuse and violent deaths in two urban areas such as Ribeirão Preto - SP and Vitória - ES. This work also may help the authorities to get more scientific information to face the drug and crime problem. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

PERES, MARIANA DADALTO; PELICAO, FABRCIO SOUZA; CALEFFI, BRUNO; DE MARTINIS, BRUNO SPINOSA. Simultaneous Quantification of Cocaine, Amphetamines, Opiates and Cannabinoids in Vitreous Humor. JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL TOXICOLOGY, v. 38, n. 1, p. 39-45, JAN-FEB 2014. (10/05978-0, 11/02210-7)