N,N-Dimethylpentylone (dipentylone)—A new synthetic cathinone identified in a postmortem forensic toxicology case series.

Fogarty, Melissa F; Krotulski, Alex J; Papsun, Donna M; Walton, Sara E; Lamb, Michael; Truver, Michael T; Chronister, Chris W; Goldberger, Bruce A; Logan, Barry K

Synthetic cathinones emerged on the novel psychoactive substance (NPS) drug market as alternatives to controlled stimulants and entactogens such as methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. The majority of synthetic cathinones can be subclassified into two groups: beta-keto amphetamines (i.e. NPS with the suffix "drone") and beta-keto methylenedioxyamphetamines (i.e. NPS with the suffix "lone"). Although a significant number of beta-keto amphetamines have been identified, beta-keto methylenedioxyamphetamines have dominated the NPS market, including notable drugs like methylone, butylone, N -ethyl pentylone (ephylone), eutylone and now N,N -dimethylpentylone. N,N -Dimethylpentylone, also known as dipentylone or beta-keto-dimethylbenzodioxolylpentanamine, emerged into the illicit drug supply <2 months of the international control of eutylone (September 2021). A novel standard addition method was developed and validated for N,N -dimethylpentylone, pentylone and eutylone, and 18 postmortem cases were quantitated using the method described in this manuscript. The resulting blood concentration range for N,N -dimethylpentylone in this case series was 3.3 to 970 ng/mL (median: 145 ng/mL, mean: 277 ± 283 ng/mL). Pentylone, a metabolite of N,N -dimethylpentylone, was detected in all cases (range: 1.3–420 ng/mL, median: 31 ng/mL and mean: 88 ± 127 ng/mL). Due to the rise in identifications of N,N -dimethylpentylone in postmortem investigations as well as the potential misidentification of N,N -dimethylpentylone as N -ethyl pentylone, samples testing positive for pentylone should be additionally confirmed for the presence of N,N -dimethylpentylone. Based on prior trends of new synthetic cathinones, it can be theorized that N,N -dimethylpentylone may predominate the US synthetic stimulant market for the next 1–2 years; however, given the emergence of additional closely related isomeric compounds, it is important to utilize methodology capable of differentiating N,N -dimethylpentylone from its isomers (N -isopropylbutylone, N -ethyl pentylone, N -ethyl N -methyl butylone, hexylone, N -propylbutylone, diethylone and tertylone).

SYNTHETIC cathinone; FORENSIC toxicology; DRUGS of abuse; AUTOPSY; AMPHETAMINES; FORENSIC pathology

Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 2023, Issue 8, p753

0146-4760

Academic Journal

10.1093/jat/bkad037