[Simple and rapid screening for psychotropic natural products using Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART)-TOFMS]

Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) is a novel ionization technique that provides for the rapid ionization of small molecules under ambient conditions. To investigate the trend of non-controlled psychotropic plants of abuse in Japan, a rapid screening method, without sample preparation, was developed using DART-time of flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS) for plant products. The major psychotropic constituents of these products were determined using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS). As a result of the DART-TOFMS analyses of 36 products, the protonated molecular ions [M+H](+), corresponding to 6 kinds of major hallucinogenic constituents (mescaline, salvinorin A, N,N-dimethyltryptamine, harmine, harmaline and lysergamide), were detected in 21 products. It was possible to estimate their accurate elemental compositions through exact mass measurements. These results were consistent with those of the LC/MS analyses and the contents of the 6 psychotropic constituents were in the range from 0.05 to 45 microg/mg. Typical controlled narcotic drugs, tetrahydrocannabinol, opioid alkaloids and psilocin were also directly detected in marijuana cigarette, opium gum and magic mushroom respectively. Although it is difficult to estimate the matrix effects caused by other plant ingredients, the DART-TOFMS could be useful as a simple and rapid screening method for the targeted psychotropic natural products, because it provides the molecular information of the target compounds without time-consuming extraction and pre-treatment steps.