Evaluation of fetal and infant exposure to cocaine and cannabinoids by toxicological analysis in breast milk, meconium and umbilical cord tissue

• Grant number: 15/15700-3
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: March 01, 2016 - February 28, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Toxicological Analysis
• Principal Investigator: Mauricio Yonamine
• Grantee: Mauricio Yonamine
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCF). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Carolina Dizioli Rodrigues de Oliveira

Abstract

The increase of childbearing age women who abuse illicit drugs leads to concerns about the child exposure during gestational and lactation period, due to obstetric, neonatal and infant effects after acute and chronic use by the mother. The abuse of drugs such as cocaine and marijuana by pregnant and lactating women may cause short and long term harmful effects to the infant, and can contribute for the maternal neglect and increase the fetal mortality rates. Brazilian epidemiological data in this area are scarce and the evaluation of this type of exposure depends mostly on the mother report, which often omits or denies the drug consume. In this sense, the determination of substances in biological matrices that identify the infant exposure represents the best way to characterize the problem and can guide the medical team to make proper decisions. Some toxicological studies on alternative matrices have been used meconium and more recently umbilical cord tissues for the development of diagnostic methods for drug fetal exposure. In regard to exposure during nursing period, breast milk is the best choice to determine whether the child is being exposed to active substances during breastfeeding. Thus, one of the aims of the project is to investigate the applicability of umbilical cord tissue when compared to meconium as an alternative to diagnose and confirm in utero exposure to cocaine and cannabinoids. A second objective is to determine psychoactive substances concentration (cocaine, cocaethylene, norcocaine, tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabinol and cannabidiol) in human breast milk. To accomplish the aims, methods will be developed for the detection of the analytes of interest by using recent sample preparation techniques such as accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) and liquid phase microextraction (LPME). The analytes will be identified and quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). After the development and validation, the methods will be applied in breast milk samples collected from the Hospital Dr. Arthur Ribeiro de Saboya. Meconium and umbilical cord tissue samples will be collected from the University Hospital of University of São Paulo. (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)

MANTOVANI, CINTHIA DE CARVALHO; PEREIRA E SILVA, JEFFERSON; FORSTER, GUILHERME; DE ALMEIDA, RAFAEL MENCK; DE ALBUQUERQUE DINIZ, EDNA MARIA; YONAMINE, MAURICIO. Simultaneous accelerated solvent extraction and hydrolysis of 11-nor-Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabino1-9-carboxylic acid glucuronide in meconium samples for gas. chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. JOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHY B-ANALYTICAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE BIOMEDICAL AND LIFE SCIENCES, v. 1074, p. 1-7, FEB 1 2018. (11/14108-2, 15/15700-3, 13/13079-4)

SILVA, JEFFERSON PEREIRA; YONAMINE, MAURICIO. Bioanalytical and methodological challenges in the evaluation of fetal Cannabis exposure. BIOANALYSIS, v. 10, n. 10, p. 4-pg., 2018-05-01. (15/15700-3)

SILVEIRA, GABRIELA DE OLIVEIRA; LODDI, SILVANA; RODRIGUES DE OLIVEIRA, CAROLINA DIZIOLI; ZUCOLOTO, ALEXANDRE DIAS; GIMENEZ FRUCHTENGARTEN, LIGIA VERAS; YONAMINE, MAURICIO. Headspace solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for determination of cannabinoids in human breast milk. Forensic Toxicology, v. 35, n. 1, p. 125-132, JAN 2017. (15/15700-3, 14/04107-7)