Identification of New Synthetic Cannabinoid ADB-CHMINACA (MAB-CHMINACA) Metabolites in Human Hepatocytes

ADB-CHMINACA (MAB-CHMINACA) is a new synthetic cannabinoid with high potency and many reported adverse events and fatalities. The drug is currently scheduled in several countries in Europe and the USA. Analytical methods need to be developed to confirm ADB-CHMINACA intake for clinical and forensic programs. For many synthetic cannabinoids, parent compound is not detectable in biological samples after intake, making the detection of metabolites the only way to prove consumption. Therefore, detection of ADB-CHMINACA metabolites in biological specimens is critical. Since there are currently no published data on ADB-CHMINACA metabolism, we aimed to identify its major metabolites. Cryopreserved human hepatocytes were incubated with 10 μmol/L ADB-CHMINACA for 3 h. Incubations were analyzed with liquid chromatography on a biphenyl column, high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (orbitrap), and metabolite identification software. A reference standard of six commercially available potential metabolites was simultaneously analyzed under the same conditions to allow correct assignment of isomers. We detected ten major metabolites. Biotransformations mainly occurred at the cyclohexylmethyl tail of the compound, as also observed with structural analogs' metabolism. Minor reactions also occurred at the tert-butyl chain. Only two analytical standards of potential metabolites matched an actual metabolite detected in hepatocyte incubations. We recommend A9 (ADB-CHMINACA hydroxycyclohexylmethyl), A4 (ADB-CHMINACA 4″-hydroxycyclohexyl), and A6 (ADB-CHMINACA hydroxycyclohexylmethyl) as metabolite targets to document ADB-CHMINACA intake in clinical and forensic cases. Additionally, these results will guide analytical standard manufacturers to better provide suitable references for further studies on ADB-CHMINACA metabolism.