Published:Journal of Chromatographic Science,
ISSN 0021-9665Volume
44, Number 7, August 2006, pp.387-393
Solid-Phase Microextraction: Investigation of the
Metabolism of Substances that May be Abused by Inhalation
Richard Walker[1], Robert J. Flanagan[2], Martin
S. Lennard[3], Graham A. Mills[4], and Valerie Walker[1]
[1]Department of Chemical Pathology, Southampton General Hospital,
Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD;
[2]Medical Toxicology Unit, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS
Foundation Trust, Avonley Road, London, SE14 5ER;
[3]Academic Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, South, University of
Sheffield, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield S10 2JF;
[4]School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth,
White Swan Road, Portsmouth, PO1 2DT, UK
Purified liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), a mixture
of butane, isobutane, and propane, is commonly abused by inhalation.
Little is known about the mammalian metabolism of these substances.
Metabolism of other hydrocarbons, including n-hexane and cyclohexane,
has been studied in vitro using a range of liver preparations,
with metabolites analyzed by static headspace techniques. Solid-phase
microextraction (SPME) for sampling metabolites in the headspace
of incubates of volatile compounds with activated rat liver microsomes
is investigated. Cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone were formed from
cyclohexane and 1-, 2-, and 3-hexanol and 2-hexanone from n-hexane
as predicted. Secondary alcohols are found for the other compounds
studied, except for propene and isobutane, together with 2-propanone
and 2-butanone from propane and n-butane, respectively. Samples
from three individuals who died following LPG abuse contained
a range of putative n-butane metabolites: n-butanol, 2-butanol,
2,3-butanediol, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, and 2,3-butanedione. To
our knowledge, the last three compounds have not been proposed
as metabolites of n-butane in man. These might be produced through
similar metabolic pathways to those of n-hexane and n-heptane.
The findings indicate the value of SPME for investigating the
metabolism of volatile substances and for detecting and monitoring
exposure to these compounds.
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