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LC‐HRMS characterization of the skin pigmentation and sexual enhancers melanotan II and bremelanotide sold on the black market of performance and image enhancing drugs
Author(s) -
Mestria Serena,
Odoardi Sara,
Frison Giampietro,
Strano Rossi Sabina
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
drug testing and analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.065
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1942-7611
pISSN - 1942-7603
DOI - 10.1002/dta.2986
Subject(s) - orbitrap , anabolic androgenic steroids , chemistry , substance abuse detection , poison control , mass spectrometry , chromatography , anabolism , biology , pharmacology , medicine , biochemistry , drug , environmental health
The spread of performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs) often requires forensic toxicology laboratories to identify unknown compounds without reference standards. We characterized the PIEDs melanotan II and bremelanotide, not legally marketed, in eight unknown samples confiscated by police together with anabolic steroids, hormone modulators, sexual enhancers and stimulants, intended for the black market of bodybuilders, using liquid chromatography–high resolution/high accuracy Orbitrap mass spectrometry (LC‐HRMS). The characterization was carried out by the accurate mass measurements of MH + ionic species, the study of their isotopic patterns and the associated relative isotopic abundance (RIA) values, as well as the accurate mass measurements of collision‐induced product ions obtained in fragmentation experiments. LC‐HRMS confirmed itself as a powerful analytical tool to elucidate the elemental composition and structural characteristics of unknown compounds.