Elucidation of human metabolism of ADB-FUBIATA for population exposure assessment

At a time when synthetic drugs are emerging as a critical threat to users, the consumption of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists has become emblematic of the French overseas territory of Mayotte, aka "la Chimique." On this island, 8 sampling campaigns of this drug were performed between September 22 and September 23: 193 samples were collected. Among them, 21 contained ADB-FUBIATA. This synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist presented maximal concentrations. To verify the feasibility of further epidemiological studies based on wastewater and with a view to forensic and ecotoxicological concerns since metabolites are known to be capable of altering the environment, the authors studied the hepatic metabolism of ADB-FUBIATA using HLMs and LC-HMRS. For tracking ADB-FUBIATA, the apparently most relevant metabolite is proposed, i.e., the M03 metabolite (C₂₃H₂₆FN₃O₃, HMRS target must be [M⁺H⁺] m/z 412.2031) resulting from ADB-FUBIATA hepatic hydroxylation, but persistent in the wastewater context. This proposal remains cautious, since it is based on a metabolization rate of 10% estimated on the basis of the intensity of the chromatographic peak area. Nevertheless, to confirm the usefulness and viability of detecting ADB-FUBIATA metabolites in wastewater, it is necessary to carry out analytical confirmation on real samples.