Chemical and Toxicological Diagnosis of Acute Poisoning with Doxylamine, Zaleplon, and Phenazepam

Abstract

BACKGROUND The market of hypnotic and sedative drugs is being updated due to the high toxicity of barbiturates and the limitations of their use. Currently, safer drugs such as Z-drugs, Doxylamine, and some benzodiazepine derivatives are often prescribed for the treatment of anxiety and insomnia, but they can cause acute poisoning if overdosed or in case of nonmedical use.AIM To establish an affordable express thin-layer chromatography (TLC) technique for preliminary screening detection of Doxylamine, Phenazepam and Zaleplon in order to diagnose acute poisoning.MATERIAL AND METHODS Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and gas chromatography with mass selective detection (GC-MS) methods were used. Urine samples from patients with symptoms of acute Doxylamine, Zaleplon, Phenazepam poisoning, and model urine samples were prepared by liquid-liquid extraction at pH 9.0 with chloroform for TLC analysis, with ethyl acetate-diethyl ether mixture (1:1) for GC-MS.RESULTS We developed the TLC method of Doxylamine, Zaleplon and Phenazepam detection which helps reveal their presence in the patient’s urine, as well as distinguish one from another in case of similar toxic symptoms. The GC-MS method was used for confirmatory analysis. Compared to confirmatory methods, the developed technique of TLC screening is expressive, does not require expensive high-tech equipment, while allowing to differentiate Doxylamine, Zaleplon and Phenazepam from each other and from other toxicologically significant psychoactive substances detected in general screening.