Suicide by an overdosage of N-propylajmalinium bitartrate

The toxicological findings after suicidal poisoning with N-propylajmalinium bitartrate (NPAB) are presented. For isolation of NPAB the biological material was homogenized and the drug was isolated by adsorption on Amberlite XAD-2. After column chromatographic purification on Sephadex LH-20 quantitative determinations were carried out by gas chromatography of the trifluoroacetate. The identity of the material finally obtained was checked by various chromatographic and spectrometric methods. The following concentrations of NPAB were found: liver 58 microgram/g, kidney 32 microgram/g, brain 16 microgram/g, muscle less than 10 microgram/g, heart less than 5 microgram/g, blood less than 5 microgram/g, gastric contents 600 mg (total). 1200 mg of NPAB had been swallowed; thus the amount of NPAB, that had crossed into blood, was approx. 500-600 mg corresponding to a dose of 9-11 mg/kg body weight.