JOURNAL ARTICLE

Elucidating the potential role of microorganisms in postmortem biotransformation: a comparison of clonazolam and its metabolite in postmortem and DUID cases.

  • Published In: Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 2024, v. 48, n. 8. P. 550 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Casey, Brittany K; Papsun, Donna M; Mudd, Anna 3 of 3

Abstract

This article focuses on the postmortem (PM) microbial biotransformation of clonazolam, a designer benzodiazepine (DBZD), and its metabolite 8-aminoclonazolam in forensic toxicology casework. Analysis of 342 cases from 2020 to 2023, including 288 PM and 54 driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) cases, revealed that clonazolam was rarely detected in PM samples (0.3%) but more frequently in DUID samples (38%), whereas 8-aminoclonazolam was consistently identified in both. The findings suggest that microbial activity after death may convert clonazolam to its metabolite, reducing parent drug detection in PM samples, highlighting the importance of including 8-aminoclonazolam in toxicological testing to accurately identify clonazolam use. This study provides an alternative approach to investigating biotransformation in the absence of in vitro microbial studies and underscores challenges in interpreting PM toxicology results due to microbial effects.

Additional Information

  • Source:Journal of Analytical Toxicology. 2024/10, Vol. 48, Issue 8, p550
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Health and Medicine
  • Publication Date:2024
  • ISSN:0146-4760
  • DOI:10.1093/jat/bkae069
  • Accession Number:180533333
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Journal of Analytical Toxicology is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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