A novel electrochemical method for detecting synthetic cannabinoids in e-cigarette and biological samples using a...

Synthetic Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists (SCRAs) are a class of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) that interact with the same receptors (CB1 and CB2) as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The identification of SCRAs, such as AB-CHMINACA and MDMB-4en-PINACA, is of significant forensic and toxicological interest due to their widespread consumption in several countries and their potential involvement in overdose cases resulting from their high potency, posing a serious public health and safety concern. Currently, no standardized screening methods exist for the detection of SCRAs in forensic and toxicological contexts. This study introduces a novel electroanalytical method that combines laboratory-fabricated boron-doped diamond screen-printed electrodes (SP/BDDE) with square-wave adsorptive stripping voltammetry (SWAdSV) for the detection of AB-CHMINACA and MDMB-4en-PINACA in e-cigarette samples and real biological matrices. For the first time, the electrochemical behavior of these SCRAs is comprehensively investigated, and all their redox processes (P_c1/P_a2 and P_a3) are utilized for selective and accurate identification. The proposed method exhibited a wide linear range (20-100 μM for AB-CHMINACA and 20-70 μM for MDMB-4en-PINACA) with a low detection limit of 0.282 μM, making it highly suitable for forensic applications involving seized samples and toxicological analyses of biological specimens. The stability of the electrochemical response was assessed, with SP/BDDE showing relative standard deviations (RSD) below 10 % for E_p and I_p. Interference studies confirmed the high selectivity of the method for SCRA detection. AB-CHMINACA and MDMB-4en-PINACA were successfully identified in e-cigarette and biological samples, with recovery rates approaching 100 %, indicating minimal matrix effects in these complex samples. Therefore, the proposed method proves to be a promising, rapid, and selective screening approach for the detection of SCRAs in forensic and toxicological scenarios, as a screening test.