Postmortem distribution of MDPHP in a fatal intoxication case

Abstract

The synthetic cathinone (SC) 3,4-methylenedioxy-α-pyrrolidinohexanophenone (MDPHP) is structurally correlated to the 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV). In recent years, the number of intoxication cases has increased even if little is known about the pharmacokinetics properties. The Postmortem (PM) distribution of MDPHP remains largely unexplored. In these reports, MDPHP levels were quantified in blood, gastric content, and urine. This study aimed to describe the MDPHP PM distribution in several specimens, i.e. central and peripheral blood (CB and PB), right and left vitreous humor (rVH and lVH), gastric content (GCo), urine (U), and hair. The samples were collected from a cocaine-addicted 30-year-old man with a PM interval estimated in 3–4 h. Autopsy examination revealed unspecific findings, i.e. cerebral and pulmonary edema. No injection marks were observed. Toxicological analyses were performed using a multi-analytical approach: headspace gas chromatography for blood alcohol content (BAC), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) for the main drugs of abuse, liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS–MS) for benzodiazepines, and new psychoactive substances (NPS). BAC was negative (0.02 g/L). MDPHP concentrations were as follows: 1,639.99 ng/mL, CB; 1,601.90 ng/mL, PB; 12,954.13 ng/mL, U; 3,028.54 ng/mL, GCo; 1,846.45 ng/mL, rVH; 2,568.01 ng/mL, lVH; 152.38 (0.0–1.5 cm) and 451.33 (1.5–3.0 cm) ng/mg, hair. Moreover, hair segments were also positive for 3,4-dimethylmethcathinone (DMMC < limit of quantification: 0.01 ng/mg), α-PHP (0.59 ng/mg, 0.0–1.5 cm; 3.07 ng/mg, 1.5–3.0 cm), cocaine (6.58 ng/mg, 0.0–1.5 cm; 22.82 ng/mg, 1.5–3.0 cm), and benzoylecgonine (1.13 ng/mg, 0.0–1.5 cm; 4.30 ng/mg, 1.5–3.0 cm). MDPHP concentrations were significantly higher than those reported in the literature for fatal cases. For these reasons, the cause of death was probably the consumption of a lethal amount of MDPHP. Because CB and PB were similar, PM redistribution was not relevant.