Browsing by Author "Luzio, Ana Manuela Ramalho"
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- Understanding the real toxicological impact of three synthetic cannabinoidsPublication . Luzio, Ana Manuela Ramalho; Quintas, Alexandre; Dias, Mário João; Costa, Joana Couceiro da; Ferreira, CarlaIn the last few years, the sale of new psychoactive substances (synthetic drugs) has been steadily increasing on the street markets, since they are designed to circumvent the laws ruling drug use and are perceived by consumers as legal and less toxic compared to the illegal substances that they mimic. Within these new substances that are currently sold, synthetic cannabinoids are among the top selling classes. In order to contribute to the study of these substances, the present research project was developed, which aimed to analyse the cytotoxicity of three synthetic cannabinoids, one from the second generation (THJ-018) and two from the third generation (EG-018 and SGT-151), as purchased from the supplier and after purification. The human cell line SH-SY5Y was used, since it expresses the CB1 receptor. Thus, after purchasing the packaging via Internet, GC/MS content analysis revealed the existence of impurities. Subsequently, the original pack contents were purified by HPLC/DAD and the cytotoxicity of the obtained synthetic cannabinoids was verified by cell viability assays, namely MTT assays, where the cytotoxicity of the pure synthetic cannabinoids versus the original pack contents was compared. Contrary to the original contents of the THJ-018 and EG-018 packages, cell viability assays revealed a higher cytotoxicity of the original SGT-151 package contents than this synthetic cannabinoid after purification, suggesting that other substances present in the product enhance its toxicity.