Development of an enantioselective method for the quantitative determination of clephedrone and its metabolites in saliva using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

Author: Lasha Giunashvili
Keywords: enantioselective, Clephedrone
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The aim of the project is to develop a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry tandem method for the enantioselective quantitative determination of clephedrone and its metabolites in saliva. Within the framework of the project, we used a tandem of liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry as an analytical method, and iSp-10B, Amylose 3, AMP as a chiral adsorbent. For chromatographic separation, the mobile phase was acetonitrile/water at a ratio of 97/3 with the addition of 5mmol ammonium acetate. In such a chromatographic system, not only clephedrone and its metabolites can be chromatographically separated, but also clephedrone and its enantiomers can be separated. We also studied the time dependence of the concentration of clephedrone in the saliva of five patients. The analytical method was validated according to the relevant recommendations. One of the advantages of our developed method is the short analysis time. (4-chloromethcathinone; 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-methylamino)propan-1-one), aka clephedrone, is a synthetic cathinone also known as clephedrone. It is found in powder or crystal form. Clephedrone increases the levels of extracellular neurotransmitters, especially dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin. Its molecular mechanisms and functional properties are similar to other psychostimulants. Side effects associated with use include hypertension, chest pain, tachycardia, agitation, fear, aggression, psychosis, hallucinations, and insomnia.