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Determination of antidepressants in human postmortem blood, brain tissue, and hair using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry

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Abstract

A gas chromatographic–mass spectrometric (GC–MS) method in positive ion chemical ionization mode in combination with a solid phase extraction was optimized for new-generation antidepressants and their metabolites in postmortem blood, brain tissue, and hair. Twelve antidepressants and their active metabolites (i.e., mirtazapine, viloxazine, venlafaxine, citalopram, mianserin, reboxetine, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, sertraline, maprotiline, melitracen, paroxetine, desmethylfluoxetine, desmethylmianserin, desmethylmirtazapine, desmethylsertraline, desmethylmaprotiline, desmethylcitalopram, and didesmethylcitalopram) could be quantified. In this article, in addition to the validation of the GC–MS method, four postmortem cases are discussed to demonstrate the usefulness of the described method in forensic toxicology. In these cases, sertraline, fluoxetine, citalopram, and trazodone in combination with their active metabolites were quantified. Blood concentrations ranged from subtherapeutic to toxic concentrations, while brain to plasma ratios ranged from 0.8 to 17. Hair concentrations ranged from 0.4 to 2.5 ng/mg depending on the compound and hair segment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Toxicology, Ghent University, Harelbekestraat 72, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Sarah M. R. Wille, Lien K. Van Overschelde, Carlos H. Van Peteghem & Willy E. Lambert

  2. Department of Forensic Medicine, Ghent University, Jozef Kluyskensstraat 29, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Els A. De Letter & Michel H. A. Piette

Authors
  1. Sarah M. R. Wille
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  2. Els A. De Letter
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  3. Michel H. A. Piette
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  4. Lien K. Van Overschelde
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  5. Carlos H. Van Peteghem
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  6. Willy E. Lambert
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Willy E. Lambert.

Electronic supplementary material

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Table S1

Antidepressant standards, stock, and working solutions (DOC 62.5 KB)

Table S2

LOQ and recovery data of ADs from blood and brain tissue (n = 6, *n = 5) (DOC 25.0 KB)

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Wille, S.M.R., De Letter, E.A., Piette, M.H.A. et al. Determination of antidepressants in human postmortem blood, brain tissue, and hair using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Int J Legal Med 123, 451–458 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-008-0287-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-008-0287-6

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