In postmortem toxicology, certain cases require the examination of embalmed biological specimens to investigate the presence and potential role drugs may have played in a person’s death. Key factors, like postmortem distribution, which can be greatly affected by temperature, may alter drug concentrations in different areas of the body. In the United States, the involvement of cocaine in overdose deaths has significantly increased between 2012 and 2019 (1). The purpose of this project was to examine the stability of cocaine and its primary metabolite, benzoylecgonine, in perfused postmortem rat tissues stored at different temperatures over a one month. Twelve frozen cocaine positive rat specimens, intracardially perfused with a saline and formaldehyde solution, were received from a chronic cocaine rat study at Boston University Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (Dr. Kathleen Kantak, Boston, MA, USA). The specimens were dissected, and the spleen, one kidney, and one lung were removed from each specimen. A fine-needle aspiration biopsy was performed on each organ to collect a time zero (T0) sample. One set of four rat specimens were stored at room temperature (20-22°C), another four were stored at refrigerator temperature (4°C), and another four were stored at freezer temperature (-20°C). A section of each organ was collected for analysis at two weeks (T1) and one month (T2). Samples underwent solid-phase extraction before liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis using a QSight 220 CR Laminar Flow Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer with electrospray ionization, operated in positive ion mode (PerkinElmer, Shelton, CT, USA). Simplicity 3QTM software (PerkinElmer) was used for all data collection, analysis, and quantification. All calibration curves generated for each analyte had acceptable R2 values greater than 0.98 using a weighted linear regression model (1/x). Between T1 and T2, eight samples demonstrated a 15-873% increase in cocaine concentration and four samples had a 13-45% decrease in cocaine concentration. For benzoylecgonine, nine samples demonstrated an 18-289% increase in concentration between T1 and T2 and six samples had a 3-57% decrease in concentration. In samples collected at one month, concentration values for cocaine were highest in samples stored at freezer temperature (-20°C) and lowest in samples stored at refrigerator temperature (4°C). The highest benzoylecgonine values were found in samples stored at freezer temperature (-20°C) as well, and the lowest concentrations were in samples stored at room temperature (20-22°C). Due to the variability in analyte concentration in the organs of the intracardially perfused specimens, the impact storage conditions had on analyte stability could not be determined.

Reports of declining insect populations suggest that more research focusing on this phenomenon is needed, especially in pollinator insects. Climate change, habitat destruction, and usage of certain pesticides have all been implicated in insect decline. Neonicotinoid pesticides are highly toxic to bees, can have drastic sub-lethal effects on behavior, and are persistent in the environment; likewise, they have been implicated as a major factor affecting bee populations. However, there are limited studies on native bees regarding their interactions with neonicotinoids, even regarding simple questions such as exposure levels. In this study, we aimed to assess concentrations of common neonicotinoids in native bees and soils from a threatened habitat in our region, the Black Belt Prairie, by using a modified QuEChERS LC/MS-MS protocol. Our results showed that specific taxa of native bees- Bombus spp., Xylocopa spp., and Mellissodes spp. (Family: Apidae)- were exposed to neonicotinoids. In contrast, no concentration of neonicotinoids was detected in our soil samples.

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京都大学 / 新制・論文博士 / 博士(薬科学) / 乙第13485号 / 論薬科博第5号 / 新制||薬科||17(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院薬学研究科薬科学専攻 / (主査)教授 石濱 泰, 教授 松﨑 勝巳, 教授 土居 雅夫 / 学位規則第4条第2項該当 / Doctor of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Kyoto University / DFAM

An optimized method for the chiral resolution of enantiomers of amino acids in bacterial supernatants is reported. This LC-MS/MS method is performed using a chiral Teichoplanin LC column and does not require sample clean up or chemical derivitization. This method allows for the determination of the relative amounts of the D and L enantiomers of 20 proteinogenic amino acids. The detection limits and response factors for the 20 amino acids were determined. Calibrations over three orders of magnitude showed least squares coefficient values (R^2) greater than 0.996 for eighty percent of the amino acids and greater than 0.992 for the remainder. The amino acids and their enantiomers were identified based on their retention times and their unique Multiple Reaction Monitoring (MRM) transitions for each amino acid. L-Aspartic acid-2,3,3-d3 was used as the internal standard. Cultures of Sinorhizobium meliloti (a nitrogen-fixing soil bacterium) were grown on minimal media; thus, all amino acids were biosynthesized by the bacterium. After centrifugation, supernatants were freeze dried, reconstituted in a small volume of methanol/water with internal standard and injected onto the LC column. The amino acids detected in the bacterial supernatant and the concentrations of the enantiomers were reported as the L and D isomers respectively: arginine [L, 12.6 ± 3.1 μg/L; D, 10.1 ± 3.2 μg/L], serine [L, 7.2 ± 1.16 μg/L; D, n.d.], threonine [L, n.d.; D, 11.2 ± 2.7 μg/L] and valine [L, 15.5 ± 4.3 μg/L; D, 11.3 ± 3.7 μg/L], where the term n.d. means below detection limit. The limits for detection for all amino acids ranged from 1.3 μg/L - 5.1 μg/L. In media with no added phosphate, the amino acid profiles changed somewhat under these stress conditions. Arginine was no longer detected while alanine and proline were now observed; the concentrations of the amino acids were: alanine [L, 7.7 ± 1.2 μg/L; D, 13.4 ± 2.5 μg/L], proline [L, n.d.; D, 8.63 ± 1.3 μg/L], serine [L, 7.6 ± 1.2 μg/L; D, n.d.], threonine [L, n.d.; D, 10.2 ± 3.2 μg/L] and valine [L, 11.6 ± 2.3 μg/L; D, 10.1 ± 3.1 μg/L]. These data represent the mean values of three independent bacterial growth experiments conducted over a 3 month period; the data came from the analysis of five separate aliquots from each growth experiment. The percent standard deviation for these data ranged from 15% to 33% and averaged 24%. Under both the normal and stressed growth conditions of S. meliloti produced the L enantiomer of serine, the D enantiomer of threonine and racemic valine. While racemic arginine was observed under normal growth conditions, levels were below detection under stressed conditions; under stress conditions only the D enantiomer of proline was observed while alanine was found in 1:2, L:D ratio. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)