Interpretation of melperone intoxication: post-mortem concentration distribution and interpretation of intoxication...

Area of Science:

• Forensic Toxicology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Melperone abuse and intoxication are prevalent, necessitating accurate therapeutic and lethal concentration data.
• Limited information exists on melperone mono-intoxication fatalities and tissue concentration distribution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine lethal concentration ranges of melperone.
• To quantify melperone in various post-mortem matrices.
• To provide data on melperone concentration distribution in tissues.

Main Methods:

• Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was employed for melperone quantification.
• Liquid-liquid extraction and tissue homogenization were used for sample preparation.
• Chromatographic separation was achieved using a C18 analytical column with specific mobile phases.

Main Results:

• A validated LC-MS/MS method successfully quantified melperone in post-mortem samples.
• The calculated lethal melperone concentration in femoral blood was 10 mg/L.
• The study presents the first data on melperone concentration distribution in post-mortem tissues.

Conclusions:

• Existing reference lethal concentrations for melperone (17.1 mg/L) in femoral blood should be used cautiously.
• A lower lethal concentration for melperone should be considered.
• The presented post-mortem concentration distribution aids in interpreting cases lacking blood samples.